


Mistranslations

by MissCoppelia



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: BDSM, Begging, Calligraphy, Dom!Kylo, F/M, Foot Massage, Hakone, Hot Springs & Onsen, Japan, Kyoto, Massage, Masturbation, Modern AU, Praise Kink, Shibari, Tattooed Ben Solo, Teasing, Tokyo (City), Travel, soft dom, sub!Rey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2019-10-23 07:30:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17679089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCoppelia/pseuds/MissCoppelia
Summary: “Eiga o hanasemasuka?”Within seconds, Rey knew that everything she had just said was wrong. Perhaps it was the incredulous “Ehh?” from the man in front of her, or the way he slowly turned in his seat to face her. She just knew she was dead wrong and only heaven knew what expletive she had just uttered.Judging by everything that had happened to her since she had landed in Japan a few hours ago, it seemed like the universe was telling her that her first trip abroad was going to go very poorly.





	1. Day One: Arrive in Tokyo

**Author's Note:**

> A small love letter to Japan, one of my favorite places to travel in.
> 
> Thanks to [aionimica](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aionimica/pseuds/aionimica) for beta-reading this chapter!

 

“Eiga o hanasemasuka?”

 

Within seconds, Rey knew that everything she had just said was wrong. Perhaps it was the incredulous “Ehh?” from the man in front of her, or the way he slowly turned in his seat to face her. She just knew she was dead wrong and only heaven knew what expletive she had just uttered.  
  
Judging by everything that had happened to her since she had landed in Japan a few hours ago, it seemed like the universe was telling her that her first trip abroad was going to go very poorly.

 

* * *

 

“Come to Japan with me!” Rose had exclaimed many months ago.  
  
Rey didn’t need much convincing. Japan sounded amazing. All the culture, old and new, all the natural beauty _—_ all the food! Somehow she had managed to scrimp and save enough for plane tickets, hotels, and everything else. It was going to be great, getting to travel with one of her best friends.  
  
And then, only two weeks before the departure date, Rose got mono and had to cancel her trip. However, Rey’s plane tickets were nonrefundable and the change fees were half the cost, so she begrudgingly accepted that she would be going to Japan alone.

 

“Don’t worry, you’ll have fun,” Rose had groaned over the phone. “Send me photos so I can live vicariously through you.”

 

It just wasn’t going to be the same without her friend. Not only because she didn’t know a soul in Japan, but because Rose was actually a somewhat experienced traveler and would be able to help Rey navigate things like the airport or customs, not to mention the trains and getting to their hotel.

 

She _had_ managed to get herself to the airport and onto the plane okay. In customs she got to the front of a hour-long line without filling out the necessary forms, but everyone took pity on her and let her back in after she filled them out. Rey was still mortified by the whole thing. She’d seen people clutching the forms and hadn’t put two and two together. No one taught her that customs forms were a thing.

 

The trains into Tokyo were easy enough too. She just had to follow the signs, get to the right car, the right seat number, and listen for the right stop. It was once she got off at Shinjuku that things all started going haywire.

 

She got off the train. Followed the signs to the exit. There were stairs, but then she remembered passing an elevator and then found another sign for what looked to be an escalator. She stood on the wrong side until some kind person corrected her gently before she got in anyone’s way. The right side of escalators were apparently for anyone rushing up the stairs.  
  
Rey thanked them profusely until they got to the top. They disappeared into the crowd and Rey began to get lost. No one had told her Shinjuku station was massive. No one had told her it was multiple stories. No one had even told her which exit to take. There were several. She had no clue which one was the right one.

  
There were signs for hotels like the Hyatt Regency and the Hilton and the Washington. None of those were the little hotel Rose had booked. Too expensive. She whipped out the pocket wifi router she had ordered online and had delivered to her house, hoping to connect herself and get Google Maps going so she could be on her way. Fifteen minutes later she switched the thing off, unable to get it to connect.  
  
Rey breathed in deep to calm her nerves a bit. Why had she paid for a piece of crap that didn’t even work? More importantly, how was she going to find her hotel without it?  
  
There had been something in the guidebook about the increasing availability of free public wifi in preparation for the 2020 Olympics. Sure enough, there were several open networks around her. Ten minutes later, she hadn’t been able to connect to any of them. They all crapped out before she could get through the registration process after repeated tries. So much for that.

 

After a few more deep breaths that failed to calm her, Rey looked around once again, finally letting the fear dip into her consciousness. She really, really, really, really had no idea where to go. She had a map, but that didn’t tell her where anything was within the station, so she had no idea how to orient herself. There were so many people, and a lot of signs for things that were no help at all...except one.  
_  
_ _Information Desk_

 

Rey’s heart leapt in her chest, and followed the sign through the charge of people streaming against her. The Information Desk would have people who’d help. People who might know where hotel was. They’d be able to tell her the right direction to go in, even if they didn’t speak perfect English, and she’d be set.  
  
She almost walked right past it, not realizing what was what. It was darkened and the security grille was locked in place, making it look like one of the many closed storefronts in the station. She stopped and looked at it in horror.  
  
“No,” she whined, “This isn’t happening. This cannot be happening.”

 

Sure enough, the Information Desk was only open until 9 PM. Her watch showed 9:30 PM. Rey stared at the darkened little space, staring at the neatly organized maps all lined up in a row.

 

“Fuck me,” she whimpered.

 

She tried the wifi networks again. No luck. It was all she could do not to hurl her phone at a wall and cry.

 

She tried asking a few people for help in English. Most of them just shook their heads sadly at her and choked out, “No English. Sorry.”

 

What other options did she have? Right now it was either take her chances outside or keep asking. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the few phrases in Japanese she had tried to learn. “Can you please help me find my hotel” was not one of them, but she could ask...

 

“E-eiga o ha...nase...masuka?” Rey said to a man standing by a coffee shop, stumbling over a few of the unfamiliar syllables.

He just looked at her with a funny smile, and said. “Iie!”

 

_No. That meant no. Fuck._

 

Everyone else she asked had similar reactions. A few people stared at her like she was a total nutter, making Rey’s anxiety over the whole situation spike. Frustrated, she stepped outside for some fresh air.

 

This was exactly why she should have cancelled the trip when Rose did. If it wasn’t for the money, she would have. She didn’t have much to spare, and she couldn’t bear to see money wasted. Of course, Rey had tried in vain to get someone else to tag along, but with only two weeks until she left, no one could manage it on short notice.  
  
Rose would have known what to do in this situation. Rose would have spotted something, found her bearings, and led them to the hotel in no time. Rey was quick on her feet, but not like that. She operated best in environments she spent lots of time in, able to dissect them down to the smallest detail like which coffee shop swept the pavement outside their storefront and which residences kept up with their gardening. In an environment she knew well, Rey would be able to tell you the answer to just about any question you asked. In an environment she wasn’t familiar with yet, she was useless for days. And her brain hadn’t even begun to store what it needed. Probably because she hadn’t slept at all on the plane.

 

But perhaps that was the answer. She needed to start creating her mental map of this new environment. Obviously the next step was to look around.

 

Behind her was the station entrance. Before her was a quiet street, only a few people wandering up and down, dwarfed by the tall buildings. Mostly office buildings, by the look of it, with storefronts at the bottom levels.  
  
She crossed the street. Maybe someone in one of the stores would speak English. It was worth a shot. The first store at the end of the crosswalk was a store with a large calligraphy piece hanging in the window display. She stopped for a moment to take in the swooping black strokes, creating words she would probably never be able to read, but were beautiful nonetheless. It would make a good landmark if she needed it. Rey opened the door and dragged her suitcase over the threshold.  
  
“Irasshaimase!” came a deep and booming voice from somewhere. Rey didn’t see its owner until she walked further in, a tall man with black hair that dusted his shoulders. He was seated away from her, concentrating on something else, and didn’t stir any further.  
  
She approached the counter he sat behind, not wanting to yell across the store like he had. There was another beautiful piece of calligraphy behind the desk.  
  
“Ummm,” she started. “Eiga o...hanasemasuka?”

 

Immediately the man shifted, and Rey suddenly got the feeling she had done something wrong. Shit, had she been saying the wrong thing this entire time? What if she just cussed him out?

 

“Eh?” The man said, beginning to turn her way.

 

 _Fuck,_ her brain so eloquently stated. _Fuck. Fuck! Fuck!!!_  
  
She was not well-prepared for what came next.

 

“Did you just ask me if I could speak movies?”

 

He was rising to stand now and Rey realized that he was massive. A good six inches taller than her at least — _nope, more than that —_ and wide in that “I’ve got muscles” way. Not that she was petite in any sense, but this man had to be the tallest person she’d ever come across.

 

And then she noticed he was probably _not_ Asian. Certainly from behind he could have fooled her with that dark, silky hair and pale skin, but facing her was a man with fairly European features, a large nose, plush lips, and a deep five o’clock shadow. Dark eyes narrowed behind round glasses. He could be mixed, she supposed, wondering if that explained why he was so attractive.

 

Whomever he was, he was very aware of Rey’s silence. “Did you mean to ask if I spoke English?”

 

Rey blinked away her surprise. “Um...yes.”  
  
“That’s ‘eigo o hanasemasuka,’” he replied, breaking out into a bemused smile. “Ei- _goh_ means English. Ei _-gah_ means movies.”

 

Her face began to heat up, and she groaned.  “I-I think I just asked a bunch of people in the train station if they could speak movies. No wonder they were looking at me funny.”

 

The man broke out into a laugh and quickly stopped himself. Rey almost wished he hadn’t, he had a rather attractive smile. “Sorry, sorry, that’s just really hilarious. How can I help you?”

 

Yes! Help! She needed that! And he spoke perfect English with an American accent. Rey was saved. _Finally!_

 

“Oh! I’ve been looking for my hotel, but I have absolutely no idea where it is and there were so many exits in the station! I didn’t know which one to take and my pocket wifi isn’t working, and the public wifi didn’t work, and the Information Desk was closed! I’ve just been at my wit’s end trying to figure out how the hell to get there. There’s no signs for it or anything!”

 

The man raised his eyebrows at the glut of information about Rey’s journey so far, but calmly smiled when she finished and asked for the name of her hotel.

 

“The APA Shinjuku Kabukicho Tower. My friend booked it for us, but she got mono right before the trip, so I’m here alone...”

 

 _Perhaps that wasn’t the wisest thing to tell a stranger,_ Rey realized.  
  
“I know where it is. Let me walk you over there.” He whipped out his phone and began to dial, then began speaking to someone in rapid fire Japanese.

 

Rey waited until he hung up and grabbed a coat from the back of his chair. “You really don’t have to do that. I’m sure I can manage just fine with a map and some directions.”  
  
“Nonsense. Japan is fairly safe, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let a pretty girl like you walk around alone at night in a strange area. And it’s a little far.”

 

_A pretty girl like you…_

 

Rey felt her face begin to flush. “B-but what about your shop?”

 

“Nearly closing time anyway, my boss was okay with me locking up early,” the man responded as he fished out his keys. “Let’s get going.”

 

Rey followed him obediently out of the shop and waited while he locked up the door and pulled down the security grille. It would have been a lie to say she hadn’t checked out his ass as he did.

 

“My name is Rey, by the way,” she said, smiling as he turned back toward her.

 

“Ben. Nice to meet you, Rey,” he said, leaning into a little bow. Rey returned it, remembering how it was customary.

 

“Nice to meet you, Ben…”

 

He nodded and gestured toward the sidewalk in front of him. “Shall we?”

 

After a few steps spent in silence, he dared to ask, “So what made you want to come to Japan?” and they began to chat. Well, mostly he listened to her long-winded explanations about Rose, and never having traveled before, and Japan sounding so exciting and different.

 

“What about you? Are you from Japan?”

 

Ben tensed for a moment. “Ah, no. I’m from the U.S. I came here to study calligraphy from a master. That’s who owns the shop.”

 

“Wow... Are any of the pieces in the store yours then?”

 

“My master’s,” he said a little tersely. “I am still an apprentice, so my work would not be displayed in such a prominent place.”

 

“Hmm, that’s too bad.”

 

Somewhere during their conversation, the scenery around them had shifted. Before there were quiet business-like streets, but now they were surrounded by loud neon signs and a glut of people. More than a few who seemed to be drunk. Rey stared at one girl who was rather scantily clad, especially considering the cold weather, in a red tube dress and a santa hat.

 

“Uhh… where are we?”

 

Beside her, Ben sighed. “This is Kabukicho. It’s kind of a party district. Lots of bars… Your hotel is in this area”

 

“Okay…” Her eyes lingering over a sign with a group of busty, dolled-up women on it.

 

“Yeah,” Ben said as he looked at it too, the corners of his mouth flattening into a tight line. “It’s a little seedy here, that’s why I didn’t want you to walk around by yourself at night.”

 

They fell silent for a beat, and then, “It’s still safe though, even here. But there’s lots of drunks and people looking to overcharge the tourists here...”

 

“Ah,” Rey said awkwardly, as she wondered why Rose picked this area. “I’ll keep an eye out then.”  

 

Ben nodded and led her further into the crowded streets. “Getting drunk with coworkers after the office closes is a big thing here.”

 

Rey crinkled her nose at the idea. “So you just spend all your free time in the evening with your coworkers? That sounds awful.”  
  
He huffed a laugh at that then gestured where they should turn next. “The Japanese think it builds loyalty to your team and your company. And releases any pent up stress between coworkers.”

 

“If it works for them, I guess…” Rey replied, deftly avoiding a drunk man who lurched in the direction of her suitcase.

 

“We’re here.”

 

Rey looked up at the building before them, which thankfully had the name of the right hotel on it and wasn’t some dangerous back alley little place. She momentarily felt guilty that she suspected Ben would lead her astray. He had been nothing but kind the entire 20 minutes they had known each other.

 

“Thank you _so_ much,” she breathed and she caught the little smile that flitted across his face as they headed inside.

 

He waited for her as she checked in, holding onto her suitcase, so she didn’t have to drag it across the lobby.

 

“All set?” Ben asked as she returned with her room key.

 

Rey nodded and took hold of her suitcase again. “Thanks again. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”  
  
“Don’t thank me before you see your room. It’s probably so tiny you won’t have room to turn around.”

 

That made her laugh. It was strange, but Rey very much didn’t want Ben to go now. She barely knew the man, but she knew she’d regret it if this was the last time she saw him. Even if she wasn’t quite sure why, his presence just felt so reassuring. Perhaps it was knowing that she wasn’t entirely alone in this big, new city. Besides, there was no way she’d be able to find that shop again after winding through street after crowded street in Kabukicho. It would take a small miracle.  
  
“Hey,” he said, his voice growing quiet. “What are you up to tomorrow? Are you taking a tour?”

 

Rey blinked and looked up at him. “No, Rose and I were just going to wander on our own, so I didn’t book anything…”

 

Something about that made him smile. Rey tilted her head. “Why do you ask?”

 

“Would you like me to take you around Tokyo tomorrow?”

 

Her eyes grew wide. Had he read her mind somehow? “I…”

 

 _You’ll get to see him again!_ Her jet lagged brain shouted helpfully. “You don’t have work tomorrow? I wouldn’t want to impose on you.”

 

Ben shook his head, causing a few wisps of hair to rearrange themselves on his forehead. “I’m off tomorrow. How about 8 am? We’ll go someplace interesting for breakfast.”

 

A flush raced across her cheeks at the thought of spending the whole day with Ben. “That would be lovely, if you don’t mind.”

 

He reached to call the elevator. “I don’t mind. I wouldn’t have offered if I did.”  
  
The doors dinged, surprising her and making her heart begin to race. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”  
  
“See you then,” Ben said, waving as the elevator doors closed between them.

 

Rey leaned back against the wall of the elevator, listening to her heart beat wildly until the chime sounded for her floor. How did she get so lucky to find the one shopkeeper, who was not only fluent in English, but hot as hell and willing to lead her around Tokyo?  
  
She tapped the key card to the door and stepped into her room. Ben was right, it _was_ tiny. To anyone else it would have been claustrophobic, but Rey was already used to cramped spaces. She’d make do. Excess space was for people far richer than her. Besides her mind was still swirling with Ben’s faint smiles and deep voice. It didn’t take her very long to fall asleep thinking of him.

  



	2. Day 2: Tokyo City Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben takes Rey on a city tour and can't seem to keep his hands off her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience, everyone! A lot has been happening in my life since I first starting writing this fic, and even more happened between when I posted Chapter 1 and now. I don't know how long it will be until Chapter 3, but I will give myself maybe a month? That will be better than this stretch!
> 
> And a BIG thanks to [aionimica](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aionimica/pseuds/aionimica) for beta-reading again. You have been such a help!

Rey was awake at 4:22 am.   
  
She didn’t want to be awake at 4:22 am, but Rose had warned her about jet lag and her brain  showed no signs of dozing off just yet. Maybe the melatonin pills Rose had given her didn’t work as well as she’d expected, but Rey didn’t feel too tired. Just a bit groggy. Maybe sleep would come again if she just lay here in the plushy comfort of her hotel bed with no lights on.    
  


Instead, she checked her emails -too lazy to get up just yet- and sent a few texts to her friends back home to let them know she was okay.

 

Finn responded first.    
  
_ Had any sushi yet? _

 

_ Lol no _

 

_ Remember, in the land of the rising sun, they eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner _

 

_ Yeah right _

 

_ Have fun today!  _

 

Somehow between emails, adorable animal videos on Facebook, and Candy Crush Saga, it became 7:00 am and Rey finally dragged herself out of bed to shower.   
  
Oddly, her stomach hadn’t dared to grumble the entire time she was laying in bed. It started about mid-way through her shower. By the time she headed down to the lobby, she was positively starving.

 

Rey caught sight of herself in the mirrored walls of the elevator. She wore her usual messy bun, a light purple sweatshirt dress, and some black leggings. Rose had thrust the dress at her when they were shopping for the trip and gushed about how it looked like something from a Harajuku fashion shop. That had been enough to get Rey to buy it, even though she hadn’t paid more than $20 for a single item of clothing ever before. 

 

She’d never really fussed with her appearance either, but Rey found herself doing just that as the elevator moved downwards, desperate to make herself look nice. Last night seemed like some strange dream, being in Tokyo and meeting Ben. If it wasn’t for the unfamiliar surroundings when she woke up, she wouldn’t have realized it was all real. And that’s when she realized she’d probably looked like a mess having just come off the plane. That made her want to look put together today so she could make a better second impression.

 

The chime of the doors opening snapped Rey’s attention to the present. It only took her one moment to locate Ben’s large figure waiting in the lobby. He was dressed in lean, dark jeans that skimmed his long legs, and a grey button down shirt covered by a black shirt jacket. 

 

“Hey,” he said, smiling immediately upon noticing her, his face transforming from serious to excited. “How’d you sleep?” 

 

Rey couldn’t help but smile shyly back. “Alright. Found myself up really early though. I’m  _ starving. _ ”

 

The grin that spread across his face then was entirely too mischievous. “Good. I was planning to take you to Tsukiji Market for breakfast. Unless you want to get a bite before we head there?”

 

Rey’s eyes widened. “That place with the fish auction?”

 

Ben chuckled. “Ah, well the fish auction moved, but yeah there’s still a food market there.” 

 

“That sounds amazing! That was definitely on the list of things Rose and I wanted to do!”

 

He motioned his head to the door and turned, sending Rey scurrying after him. “I’ll lead the way then.”

 

With stunning precision, he herded her through the depths of Shinjuku Station. Rey almost thought she recognized some of the places she had been the night before, but then they’d turn and she’d lose her bearings again.

 

“How do you even manage in here?” She asked breathlessly. “This place is a maze.” 

 

Ben just shrugged his shoulders and grunted as they walked through a crowd of people. “Been here almost seven years now. You get used to it.” 

 

Then he stopped. “Do you have an IC card?” 

 

“Sorry? A what?”

 

Without any warning, his hand found its way to her back as Ben pushed her gently towards a wall of the station with what looked like ticket machines. But her focus swung away from those to his sudden touch. It was almost too intimate for someone she had just met the day before, yet it sparked a fire in her belly with its warmth.

 

“An IC card. It’s so you don’t have to buy tickets every time you take public transit. Which will be a lot here.”

 

His other hand dug into his pocket and retrieved his wallet, which he turned to face her. Inside a little gold and salmon-colored card with the letters PASMO faced out through a plastic window. His name was stamped into the card. Ben Solo.    
  
“One of these. Or a Japan Rail Pass since you’re a tourist. Or both. It’ll help you get around a lot of places.”

 

Rey’s brain finally focused on something else other than the hand still resting comfortably on her lower back. “I have a Japan Rail Pass. I used it to get the train from the airport.”

 

He looked down at her and then back at the ticket machines, his lips spreading into a thin line then popping back out to their normal thickness. “Okay, we could use that, but it’d take longer and you’re starving—” 

 

Rey’s eyes lingered unwillingly on his lips, and when she drew herself away after a moment too long, she just hoped Ben hadn’t noticed. “Let’s just get one of those cards then.” 

 

It was surprisingly simple to do. The machine had English language instructions (thanks to the upcoming Olympic Games, Ben told her), and she had enough cash to put about $50 on the card. That would last her a while, according to him, depending how much she spent at convenience stories (though apparently she could top up her card there too).

 

By the time they reached their subway platform, Ben had patiently explained all the features of her new PASMO card and how she could turn it in at the end of her trip. Rey didn’t even notice the crowds until Ben slowed down and muttered “Crap.”

 

“What’s wrong?” 

 

“I forgot it was rush hour,” he replied, grimacing. “The trains are going to be  _ packed. _ Are you okay with that?”

 

Rey looked around as a large number of commuters spilled out off a subway car and shrugged. “I guess? There are a lot of people getting off.”

 

He gave her a pitiful look. “I’m sorry in advance.”

 

They entered the car together, one of Ben’s hands on her back once more and he quickly found a spot against the wall of the subway car to lean against.

 

“Take off your backpack,” he instructed. “It saves space.”

 

Rey had barely begun to swing her bag down when people began pushing into her. Within seconds she found herself being pressed closer and closer to Ben, and he quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she stepped into his legs.

 

“You okay?” He said softly. “I can switch places with you.” 

 

Another person jostled her, effectively pushing Rey straight into Ben’s chest. She turned her head away from it and put her hands in between them, her cheeks beginning to burn at their closeness and the realization that there was quite a bit muscle underneath his shirt. Her gaze settled upon a young Japanese man in a suit who was more interested in the game on his phone than the increasingly tight confines of the subway car. If only she had that kind of peace in this situation instead of feeling dizzy at a whiff of Ben’s scent — sweat, parchment, and something slightly metallic. Exactly like the shop he worked in.

 

“I’m fine, I think.”

 

_ I’m not fine. You’re way too fucking hot to be real, _ went her brain.

 

“Roppongi. Roppongi,” chimed the announcement system.

 

The ride became unbearably long, time seemed like it stretched on and on as she felt every breath Ben took. Everytime Rey thought she’d get a break from being pressed embarrassingly close to him, new passengers would enter the car and push them back together. Each time, he would smile awkwardly at her and whisper that he was sorry. His hand never left her shoulders, but tightened, as if that alone would protect her from the rush hour crush.

 

“I should have picked you up later so you didn’t have to experience the worst of Tokyo.”

 

“It’s okay,” Rey laughed. “If this is the worst Tokyo has to offer, it’s not so bad.”

 

Not too long after that, which still felt like an eternity, he finally shifted and said, “This is our stop.”

 

As soon as the crowds began to clear, Ben grabbed her hand and began to pull her out of the subway car, not letting go until Rey pulled it free. 

 

“I need my card,” she explained when he turned back to face her with his eyebrows raised. Rey tried to hide a fresh new blush. “Hold on.”

 

Once they got through the gates, it was a short walk to the market area. Rey was immediately overwhelmed by new sights and smells, only some of which were recognizable. There were things for sale that looked like the should be edible, but almost looked too perfect to be real. Beautiful, shiny red strawberries, little, red octopi on sticks with their legs curled up just so… She hadn’t realized that she was just following Ben around blindly until he stopped by a stand and she nearly walked right into him. A moment later he handed her something block-shaped on a stick.

 

Rey took the yellow block and looked it over. It was topped with a yellowish grated substance that she definitely could not identify.

 

“Tamagoyaki with daikon radish,” Ben explained. “It’s like an egg omelette.”

 

Rey bit into the fluffy eggs and immediately smiled. “It’s sweet!”

 

Ben tried to restrain his own grin and bit into his portion as well. “Glad you like it. Tsukiji’s well known for its tamagoyaki.”

 

Rey nodded as she chewed another mouthful. The more she ate the more she could discern the other flavors coming through, something savoury running below the surface of the sweetness and the tang of the pickled radish. “What else is good here?”

 

“Fish… seafood… Anything really. It’s a food market.”

 

From there, Ben led her down tiny street after tiny street as she sampled more than a few items. Just when Rey thought she’d had her fill, she’d find savory grilled unagi or a sweet, fish-shaped pastry filled with red bean paste that she just had to try. Ben matched her bite for bite, forgoing only the seafood, explaining that he grew up Jewish and unfortunately just found it gross.

 

At some point in the morning she thought to text Finn after she popped a piece of fatty tuna into her mouth.

 

_ Okay, I might have had sushi for breakfast just now... _

 

_ Told you so! _

 

“Texting your boyfriend?” Ben asked before she could type out another reply.

 

Rey fought the urge to blush. “Oh, no boyfriend for me. Finn’s just a friend. Pretty sure he likes my friend Rose who was supposed to come with me. He’s been taking her food almost every single day since she got mono despite the fact that he could get sick too.”

 

“Yeah, that sounds like a crush alright,” Ben said, smirking. “You ready for the next spot?”

 

Rey nodded enthusiastically. “If you don’t take me away from here, I’m going to eat everything in this market.” 

 

Ben’s eyes sparkled like he almost wanted to see her do just that, but he turned his body toward a main street instead. “C’mon, we’ve got to leave some food for all the other tourists.”

 

Not knowing what to expect, Rey thought they might be headed toward some financial district until one side of the street fell away into a sort of moat. Across the channel laid an intimidating stone wall topped with brightly colored trees that ranged from bright green to mustardy yellow and a deep, deep crimson.

 

“What’s this?” She asked Ben. “It looks pretty.”

 

“Hamarikyu Gardens— where we’re going next.”

 

Growing up in the bleak Scottish moors and living now in the not-so-leafy region of Southern California, Rey had always found herself fascinated by any place with more than a smattering of trees. Inside the gardens —an old shogun’s former villa per Ben’s explanation — there were trees of every shape and color, it seemed. She lingered under the delicate Japanese maples, breathing in the scent of damp earth and wishing she could preserve the perfect fall foliage somehow. 

 

Ben stood there patiently as she marveled over each new branch and color. Every now and then, he even offered to take a few photos of her.

 

“The leaves bring out the color of your eyes,” he said, handing her phone back after Rey stood amongst some golden ginkgo trees with their fan-shaped leaves.

 

“Thanks…” Rey’s cheeks heated up again. At this point he probably thought she just got red in the face at the drop of a hat.

 

They stopped at a little tea house on the pond where Ben ordered traditional matcha tea and beautiful sweets that were shaped like ethereal flowers. The green tea was extremely bitter, but then Ben told her to eat a bit of the red bean treat before she took another sip. Suddenly the taste changed as the sugar coating her tongue mixed with the strong tea, so much better than on its own. 

 

He fell silent after that, staring out at the waters, the garden, and the landscape beyond. All around they were surrounded by high-rises and building cranes, an ultra-modern city that still held onto places like this where one could still enjoy natural beauty. Rey snuck little peeks at Ben and wondered if this was one of his favorite places in Tokyo.

 

Afterward they wandered further into the gardens, further from the noise of the city, and an actual crane swooped down from above, perching on a small bridge only a few yards away. Startled, Rey gasped and grabbed ahold of Ben’s arm. She stood marveling at the majestic bird, not really noticing what she had done until he carefully pulled her a little closer to the bridge, his large hand wrapping around hers.

 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked.

 

She nodded, feeling her cheeks flush again, not daring to take her eyes away from the crane. She hoped he was more focused on the bird than her.

 

_ He’s so sweet, _ a little voice in the back of her head sighed.

 

_ There’s no way he’d be interested, _ another one chimed in.  _ And if he is, he’s probably only interested in one thing. _

 

_ No,  _ the other voice countered.  _ He’s nice. _

 

_ All it could be is a hook up though… You don’t do well with hook ups. _

 

Trying to distract herself from her own mind, Rey unwrapped her arm from his to take some photos and the bird flew off.

 

“Ah, too bad,” Ben said. He grimaced as he watched it go, though Rey couldn’t guess why. 

 

It only took him a moment to recover before he turned to her and smiled. “Would you like to take a cruise?”

 

* * *

Sure enough, there was a dock right on the edge of the gardens and a futuristic boat pulled up about 10 minutes after they arrived. Rey couldn’t help but gawk at the elaborate glass panels and silver lines which made the boat look like a small spaceship gliding along the water.

 

Ben leaned over and whispered to her. “The ship was designed by a famous manga artist, in case you were wondering. Leiji Matsumoto.”

 

“Really? Wow...” Rey’s breath trailed off as she watched a hatch open automatically to let the ship’s crew and passengers out.

 

The boat was busy, but Ben found them seats around a little table in a corner. The other three seats were occupied by a Japanese couple with a toddler, and Rey wound up spending a good deal of the cruise playing peekaboo with her instead of watching the scenery float by.

 

They disembarked at Asakusa, where she immediately noticed a giant golden...something perched atop one of the buildings. 

 

“What the heck is that?”

 

Ben blanched at the sight.

 

“That’s the Asahi Beer Hall,” he said, almost grumbling. “The building next to it is supposed to look like a mug of beer.”

 

“Ah,” Rey said, taking in both buildings. “Then why does it look so…?”

 

“It looks like a turd, you can say it.”

 

She looked over at Ben whose face was a mixture of emotions, his jaw working uncomfortably. 

 

“It has a lot of unflattering nicknames,” he continued. “Kin no unko — the golden turd — and unko-biru — the poo building.”

 

Immediately Rey slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing too loud. A few snorts slipped through anyway. “No! Really?”

 

“Really,” Ben answered, the beginnings of a smile creeping back onto his face.

 

Once she got over the golden poo — which meant that she took a few pictures and immediately texted them to Rose and Finn, all while giggling to herself — Ben led her down the street to a large gate with a massive paper lantern.

 

“Welcome to the first of many temples and shrines you’ll see in Japan,” he said with a sweeping motion.

 

Rey was transfixed once again, taking in the beautiful red of the gate and the throngs of people taking photos dressed in kimono, before beginning to snap her own. Ben patiently followed her as she peered into almost every little shop along the shopping street leading up to Senso-ji Temple, frequently keeping a hand on her back again just to make sure he didn’t lose her in the throngs of people. Rey flushed each time, but shamelessly leaned into his touch just to feel the heat of his broad palm tight against her back, whether someone had pressed her in that direction or not.

 

The temple itself was just as amazing. Rey studied each deity as Ben tried to give her a decent explanation of what she was seeing.

 

“I’m…not a Buddhist,” he explained once she began to stump him with her questions. “Or a very good tour guide.”

 

Rey stopped staring at a wide-eyed guardian statue and turned towards him with a similar look, brows furrowed. “Don’t say that! You’ve been wonderful!”

 

He wasn’t looking at her, his eyes trained on the carved wood statue in front of them. His jaw began to chew again until Rey pulled on his sleeve and he looked down at her.

 

“I mean it, Ben. You’ve been amazing and I cannot thank you enough.”

 

Her heart burst at the shy, blushing smile he gave her. But it was fleeting as he turned away and headed back down the steps. “C’mon. Next stop.”

 

Next stop turned out to be Tokyo Station where Ben pointed out the Imperial Palace (not open to the public aside from the gardens, to Rey’s disappointment), and the station’s beautiful brick and stone exterior. The European-style station seemed out of place, even surrounded by many modern skyscrapers, and Rey got the sense she could be almost anywhere in the world. Ben patiently described how it was built during a period of modernization and Westernization called the Meiji Era that was hugely influential on Japanese society, but she still felt like it belonged in Disneyland instead of real life.

 

More urgently, her feet were beginning to ache, so Rey asked to sit. Ben immediately shuffled her over to a bench and let her sit for 15 minutes while he continued on about bits of Japanese history he had learned, eventually growing quiet. Rey tried not to stare at him again, but it was shockingly quiet outside the station compared to the inside and the people watching wasn’t as good.

 

“Are you hungry at all?” He finally asked.

 

Rey nearly answered immediately then held herself back. The honest answer was that she could always eat, hungry or not, if the food was there. If she was uncomfortably full, she’d take whatever it was to go and eat it within another hour or two. It had been years since she wasn’t starving on a regular basis, but her stomach had forgotten to tell her brain.

 

The slightly less honest answer was, “I could eat.”

 

That made Ben smile. “Downstairs there’s a whole bunch of restaurants.”

 

“In the station?” Rey asked, her eyes growing wide. No wonder the Japanese had such big stations. Didn’t she see restaurants in Shinjuku Station too? And stores as well. Perhaps there were even apartments there too. A whole life neatly tucked away underground.

 

He nodded. “Yeah. There’s a whole ramen street down there and one of them happens to be a favorite of mine.”

 

“Let’s go then!”

 

Inside, the station returned Rey to what she was quickly learning to recognize as typical Tokyo life. People rushed to and fro with unknown purpose around the station as Ben led her deeper in and the air grew more stale. She doubted she’d ever be able find her way on her own, despite trying to decipher the many signs above their heads. There were just too many to read at a glance and the crowd was much too thick to just stop and read them.

 

Finally Ben took a turn down an unassuming corridor and they were surrounded by tiny eateries, each with a long line out the door.

 

“So there are about 12 different ramen shops here, all famous, but my favorite is that one,” he said, pointing to one with a blue and white flag above the door and a shorter line. “They make vegetarian and vegan ramen, which I prefer to the usual pork-based stuff, but we can go wherever you prefer. That one has shio ramen, that’s salt-based broth. Miso ramen. All sorts of different styles...”

 

Rey looked up at him and found his eyes searching, worried that she wouldn’t like his choice.

 

“I want to go to the one that’s your favorite,” she said, and watched as the corners of his mouth pulled upwards and his eyes softened.

 

They entered the queue for the shop and Ben taught her how to order the vegetarian ramen from the little machine out front, which dispensed meal tickets. When they reached the front of the line, a waitress took their tickets and waited until two seats next to each other opened up to put in their order. 

 

The shop was so busy that it took a good 10 minutes before they were seated. Rey looked around at the line of seats, divided by open shelves full of cute little plants, a few decorations, and some ads for ice cream. It looked like something out of a interior decorating magazine aside from the people slurping their bowls of ramen on the other side of her.

 

“I’ve had ramen in the States before,” Rey said as she grabbed a napkin and some chopsticks. “How does it compare to ramen here?”

 

Ben shrugged. “The stuff back home doesn’t have the same flair to it like it does here. These restaurants get fiercely competitive because they have to stand out from the crowd. Back home, everything’s kind of standard because no one knows the difference. Here everything’s fresher.”

 

Rey nodded as she lifted the lid to one of the jars. “Is that garlic?”

 

“Yup. Garlic chips.”

 

“Yum!” The next jar held little plastic hair ties. “What are these for?”

 

“Ah, I need one of those.” Ben reached for one and pulled some of the hair off his face, exposing giant ears that had previously been covered by his long, black locks. “They’re just so you don’t get hair all over your ramen, really.” 

 

“Oh, that’s handy!” Rey said noticing how much younger it made him look, and it made her want to tease him. She wondered absentmindedly how he’d respond to that sort of familiarity from a girl he hadn’t known for more than 24 hours. 

 

“So, how did you get into Japanese calligraphy?”

 

Ben cocked his eyebrow as he handed her a bib, his mouth settling into a thin line as he thought over his response. 

 

“I majored in fine art in college back home. I did abstract art, and it just kind of went from there.” He sighed. “I always had an interest in Western calligraphy, and when I was first exposed to Japanese calligraphy…That was it. I knew I had to come here and learn more.”

 

Rey nodded along. “Did you know Japanese?”

 

“Fuck no, I had to learn it as fast as I could,” he huffed, the frown on his brow giving away the difficulties he had faced. “My master wouldn’t even look at me until I could address him properly, even though he speaks perfect English.”

 

“That sounds rough.”

 

Ben shook his head, eyes closing and giving him an almost serene look. “It was, but even with all the master/apprentice bullshit I have to do, there’s nothing else like it in the world.”

 

She smiled up at him. “I’d love to see some of your work.”

 

His ears turned red as he blushed. “I’ve got some pictures on my phone… doesn’t do them justice, really.”

 

Rey leaned into his shoulder as he pulled out his phone. She knew it was a flirty move, strange for someone like her who was always so bored by the guys she met back home, but she didn’t want to stop herself. If Ben decided to flirt back, or more, maybe she  _ was _ game. 

 

He quickly tapped on a picture. “Here, my latest.”

 

“Vegetarian Ramen,” a heavily accented voice said from directly behind them.

 

Rey stiffened and sat straight as the waitress plopped the gigantic bowl in front of her and another in front of Ben.

 

“Later,” he said, pocketing his phone again.

 

The bowls before them were bright orange, steaming hot, and piled with ingredients Rey had never seen in ramen before. There were a few pieces of broccoli, tomatoes, some crispy things with holes throughout them, what looked like potato slices, and some kind of grain covered in what looked like a pesto sauce. She immediately took out her phone and snapped a photo. It was a far cry from the usual stuff with a few pork slices, seaweed and bamboo shoots floating at the top.

 

“Wow.”

 

Beside her, Ben had already muttered “Itadakimasu” and begun to eat. Rey looked at him for a moment and fiddled with her chopsticks to get her hold right.  The noodles, she discovered, were also orange.

 

“This is the weirdest bowl of ramen I’ve ever seen,” she commented.

 

Ben laughed between a bite of egg and watched as she slurped, then let out a little moan of surprise and delight. “How do you like it?”

 

“It’s so good!” The noodles had a tomato-like flavor with a hint of a stronger spice in them.

 

He flashed her a handsome, toothy smile and turned back to his bowl. “Try the lotus chips, they’re really good.” 

 

Rey peered back into her own bowl and looked. “The crispy things with holes or the potato-looking slices?”

 

“The crispy thing with holes,” Ben laughed. “They’re fried lotus roots.”

 

They were good. As were the potato slices, which turned out to be a Japanese yam that tasted incredibly creamy. And the broccoli, and the tomatoes, and the buckwheat with pesto sauce. It was definitely one of the best bowls of ramen she’d ever had, even though it was nothing like any thing she’d had before.

 

After she’d finished downing the broth and the remaining cabbage at the bottom, they got up and headed back into the heart of the station.

 

“What now?” Ben asked. “How are your feet doing?”

 

Rey shrugged. “Doing okay. What were you thinking of?”

 

He chewed on his lips for a moment. Pursing them, pushing them together, and pulling them in with his teeth again and again. Rey decided to fiddle with her pocket wifi so she wouldn’t be caught staring. 

 

“I can think of a couple more places we could go, one of them’s a lot of walking, but it’s worth it. And if you want to sit and rest a few minutes, there are places. The other one is kind of better for the end of the day because we can just sit for a long time.”

 

Rey looked back up at him and smiled. “Let’s go with the first place then.”

 

Which is how she found herself back on a crowded (though not as crowded) subway train, half hoping that a seat would open up. Ben had almost pinned her against the little area between one of the doors and a row of seats, so she had to avoid staring at his wide chest or the angle at which his muscular arm stretched out over her head.

 

She’d found him to be a quieter companion than she expected for someone who had offered to take her around all day. He happily gave her little tidbits of history and Japanese culture as they went along, answered any questions that sprang up. But in the in between moments when he wasn’t directing her to and fro, he became silent automatically and would not stir without prompting. Somehow Rey knew this was his natural state: perhaps a bit shy, perhaps a bit awkward. At some point though, she couldn’t take any more of the silence. 

 

“You were going to show me your calligraphy…”

 

He looked down at her, his eyes wide and filled with an expression she didn’t understand fully just yet. Then his eyes darted up to the other side of the car where the name of the next stations were displayed.

 

“Um, we’ve got two stations before our stop…”

 

Still, Ben fished out his phone and began scrolling through the pictures, before shoving it toward her. 

 

“This is just my latest one,” he said as Rey looked over the photo. Long thick strokes bent and pulled across the paper almost painfully. Black on creamy white with what looked like Ben’s toes sticking out at the bottom of the photo.

“It’s not very good,” he added hastily, and without looking she could tell he was extremely nervous. 

 

“What does it say?” 

 

She felt him still for a moment as he drew in a breath.

 

“Solitude,” he finally answered.

 

Her eyes darted up to his, finding the same wide-eyed and unsure expression he had before, then returned to the phone screen. 

 

“I think it’s beautiful.”

 

“Shibuya. Shibuya,” chimed the automated announcer.

 

Ben’s hand slid out to retake his phone, and Rey looked up again to see his cheeks turning crimson. “Th-thank you. I’ll show you more photos later.”

 

She smiled as he slipped his phone in his pocket and readjusted his position to make room for the oncoming passengers. There was something about him that made her heart warm. Perhaps it was his kindness, the way he had been taking care of her, but something deep inside her was undoubtedly intrigued.

 

Before she knew it, the announcement system called out the next station and Ben pulled her towards the doors. This station was mostly open air and they had to climb the stairs up some brown, narrow, European style building to cross the tracks and exit. Another thing that looked like it belonged more at Disneyland.

 

They passed through the exit gates and across a stone bridge where they were hit with a massive wall of trees. 

 

Rey blinked. “Another garden?”

 

“Yes and no,” Ben hummed. “This is Meiji Shrine.”

 

She stared at the trees a moment longer and then looked back at Ben. “This is a forest, but I’ll try to believe you.”

 

His face transformed before her, lips pulling back into the largest smile Rey had ever seen before he began to laugh. He swiftly covered up his mouth to stop himself and calmed down. 

 

“Yeah, you’re right. It kind of is.”

 

As they walked deeper in, Rey felt the city fall away from them. The greenery was so dense that the roar of millions turned into the calls of birds and the eerie quiet of nature. The tall city buildings were almost immediately blocked out. It wasn’t until they rounded a corner and a large red torii gate came into view that Rey truly believed they were at a shrine. 

 

“Oh wow,” she whispered as Ben tugged her to a side building with a crowd of people standing around a fountain. “What’s this?”

 

“Ritual hand washing,” he said as he grabbed two ladles and handed one to her. “Watch me.”

 

He picked up a scoop of water, washed his left hand, then his right, then sipped some water from his left hand before washing it with a fresh ladle. He set it back upon the stone fountain and turned to her, carefully instructing her on each step before leading her into the shrine.

 

They walked toward the main shrine where he taught her how to offer coins and pray to the gods and pointed out the colorful ema prayer plaques filled with wishes from visitors from all over the world.

 

Every so often, Ben would look around while explaining some aspect of the shrine, only to turn his attention back to her immediately. Rey didn’t understand why until he stopped mid-sentence and started to drag her towards a growing crowd.

 

“What’s going on?” 

 

“Wedding procession,” he huffed. “Perfect timing.”

 

He pushed her to the front as an older man in a white and purple robe began to walk out before two young women in white and red robes. Then they turned and revealed the groom in a black and grey garment alongside the bride in pure white kimono with a white silk hood over her elaborate hair.

 

“Ben, oh my god, this is amazing,” she said quietly as the procession moved forward.

 

“You should take photos,” he whispered, close to her ear.

 

Rey felt a shiver go down her and settle into her lower back as she pulled out her phone and began snapping away. Everything about the procession was beautiful, from the splashes of color on the officiants’ uniforms to the elegant kimonos of the wedding party. Ben let her follow the procession until they reached a building where the shrine’s visitors weren’t allowed, keeping close behind her. When she whirled around to beam at him, she could see her own excitement reflected back on his face.

 

“Did you enjoy that?” He asked.

 

“Yes! Did you know that would be happening today?”

 

Ben shook his head. “This shrine does about 20 weddings on the weekends. And it just happens to be a Saturday.”

 

Rey smiled. Ben had probably planned it into their day. “Lucky us.”

 

They meandered back through the forest out into the city again. Ben led her through the trendy part of Harajuku, Takeshita-dori, and once again didn’t mind when she slowed down to gawk at the wares in a little shop or take photos. Everything around them was loud, colorful, and a little crazy, which Rey loved. No wonder Rose had pushed her to buy the sweatshirt dress, it would fit right in on one of the fashionable teenagers strolling down the street.

 

“I can’t believe all this is right next to that beautiful shrine and forest,” Rey breathed as they came out the other side next to a bright pink crepe store with probably 50 different plastic crepes in the windows. “This city is wild.”

 

Ben chuckled. “That’s Japan for you. Just look at all the different places we’ve been in one day.”

 

Rey nodded. The sheer number of things they’d done over the course of a few hours washed over her, settling in to remind her of the ache in her feet. Ben didn’t seem tired yet, but she definitely wasn’t used to walking so much. Half her day was usually spent sitting in LA traffic, not hitting its streets for hours on end.

 

As if he read her mind, Ben’s hand pressed against her back and he leaned in close. “Shall we go to the last stop and rest our feet? It’s only one stop. Not far at all.”

 

“Yeah!”

 

By now the rush of people on the subway didn’t surprise her. Rey just leaned closer to where Ben stood and hung onto the handholds. Once again he gently led her toward the right exit, his hand on her shoulder, and into a new part of Tokyo.

 

Walls of blinding neon advertisements caught her eye and made her crane her neck upwards. She stopped at the exit and stared until people started bumping into her in an effort to get past.

 

“Come on, let’s go see the Hachiko statue,” Ben said as he pulled her to the side.

 

It took Rey a moment for the words to register. “Oh! The Hachiko Statue is here?” 

 

Ben pointed out the little statue, almost hidden among the shrubs, and let Rey snap as many selfies as she wanted. She buzzed around taking photos of the impressive fluorescent towers as well as the statue, and found Ben sitting patiently on one of the partitions, watching her. 

 

“Ready?”

 

He stood when Rey nodded eagerly. 

 

“Hold onto my elbow,” he instructed as he proffered his arm to her. “It gets busy here.”

 

She almost didn’t know what he meant until he led her to a crosswalk and saw the masses of people beginning to swarm. Then suddenly they moved in all directions and Ben began to walk in a direction she didn’t think they could cross. She nearly pulled him back to the curb, thinking they’d get run over.

 

“The Shibuya Scramble Crossing,” he explained gently, feeling her hesitation. “It’s okay.”

 

Rey just nodded, in awe at the sudden wall of people before them.

 

Once they reached the other side, Ben led her up a staircase and into a little yellow and white cafe. Luckily there were two chairs open looking out at the crossing, and they were able to order some tea and cookies before relaxing into their seats and watching the crowd. 

 

Her hands wrapped around a warm teacup, Rey felt her mind come back into its usual place, having fully absorbed the day.

 

“Today was amazing, Ben…Thank you.”

 

He gave her a shy smile from behind his own tea cup, a stray curl falling onto his forehead. “It was my pleasure.”

 

They sipped in silence until Rey spotted a number of go karts making their way down the street with their drivers in various costumes. “Oh my god, I saw that on Youtube! I can’t believe it’s real!” 

 

“Yeah, but you need an international driver’s license for it.”

 

Rey felt a bit disappointed at that, but shrugged it off. She had spent too much money on this trip. She’d have to enjoy herself responsibly. “I don’t have one, but it’d be worth it if I did.”

 

Ben fell silent again, and then, “How long will you be in Japan?”

 

They had successfully avoided the subject all day long, but now that it was a question she had no hope of evading, Rey felt her heart pound. His voice sounded dark and curious, and she snuck a glance at him. His gaze was fixed on the crowd below, thankfully, and Rey could return to inspecting her tea cup as she answered. 

 

“Another eight days…”

 

This time he turned to look at her, though her gaze remained fixed elsewhere. “How long will you be in Tokyo then?”

 

Rey took another cookie and turned it over in her hands. “I leave for Kyoto tomorrow for 2 nights, then Hakone for another two nights, then I come back to Tokyo for the rest. Rose and I were going to go to Nagano to see the snow monkeys and things like that.”

 

Ben hummed. “That’s cool…. Maybe we can hang out again when you come back to Tokyo then?”

 

“Sure!” She said a little too eagerly.

 

He just smiled, a little wider and more confident this time, letting his eyes fall behind his hair as his lips dipped down to meet the elegant porcelain cup. “Good. I can take you to the train station tomorrow if you like. So you can catch the bullet train to Kyoto.”

 

“That’d be great…”

 

* * *

 

Later on, when they had parted, Rey could still feel the warmth of Ben’s arms around her back from the hug he had given her in the lobby. He had held her tightly, in just the spot that made her want to gasp with pleasure and press herself against his chest. Instead she’d just let out a squeak and pretended that Ben had squeezed all the air out of her lungs.  As she pulled the blankets around her, the memories of his hands on her back and shoulders that day returned too.

 

Was it too familiar? The way that he kept touching her was almost compulsive, like he didn’t want to stop. Rey tried to reason that she was reading too much into it, that he was just trying to keep them together in the throngs of people that filled the city. But another part of her was sure it was something more. 

 

She sighed into a pillow and closed her eyes. It was silly to start falling for Ben, a man who lived halfway across the world from her. Silly or not, she wanted to stop overthinking it and beg him to lay his hands anywhere he liked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that!
> 
> The itinerary is pretty similar to ones I've done for my past two groups to Tokyo with a few changes. So I guess this is my ideal itinerary now! Every place Rey and Ben visited is real, so feel free to look everything up and steal it if you ever go to Japan. :) 
> 
> The only two places I'll link you are the places that I didn't mention by name:  
> [ Soranoiro NIPPON](https://soranoiro-vege.com/) \- The ramen place where Ben took Rey to lunch. It's absolutely fabulous especially for someone who can't eat pork.  
> [ L'Occitane Cafe Shibuya](https://www.pierreherme.co.jp/boutique/locccotane-cafe-by-pierre-herme/) \- It's less crowded than the famous Starbucks for watching the Shibuya Scramble Crossing (although it's more expensive.)
> 
> Feel free to find me on [tumblr!](http://misscoppelia.tumblr.com/)


	3. Day 3: Tokyo to Kyoto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Rey leaves for Kyoto, Ben gives her a little something to remember him by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo got this posted in just a little over a month! Hopefully the next chapter will be ready in about a month's time too.
> 
>  
> 
> Again, thank you, thank you, thank you to [aionimica](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aionimica/pseuds/aionimica) for beta-reading.

Rey woke to the beeping of her alarm.  
  
Seven am came too soon. Her body hadn’t been ready to wake up and she probably could have slept another three hours based on how sore she was, but she still had to get ready and pack. Ben would meet her downstairs at 8:30 and he mentioned getting breakfast somewhere to avoid the rush hour crowds. That alone spurred her to leave the comfort of her bed.

_Ben…_  
  
Rey bit her lip as she shrugged off her clothes and stepped into the shower. There was something there, something she couldn’t quite be sure of, yet still un-ignorable. She didn't know if it was love or just lust, but she was feeling it, at least.  
  
_Shit, what if he has a girlfriend?_

She should have asked yesterday when he asked about Finn. She breathed in the steam that filled the tiny bathroom. How would she feel if he was dating someone? Jealous? _Oh, very, very jealous._ But why would Ben spend so much time with her if he was with someone? And the way he was touching her…  
  
Rey sighed as the water hit her head. When was the last time she’d felt this instantly attracted to someone? Flirting was _not_ her forte -- she’d straight up ignored the possibility of dating during college. It was a distraction she couldn’t afford with her meager scholarship funds and shitty on-campus job. But trying to date after college had been terrible. It was so awkward having to pretend to be a more acceptable and put-together version of herself until she felt comfortable enough to relax around her date. If things ever got very far.

Usually they didn’t.

Then there was the pesky little problem of being in another country entirely. What happened when her trip ended? She’d heard stories of long-distance romances after a whirlwind encounter in another country, but that was a strong commitment to make and it felt like something that happened to other people rather than anyone she actually knew.

_You’re overthinking things. You don’t even know if he likes you for sure._

That was true. She was getting ahead of herself. Right now she needed to focus on getting dressed and getting her suitcase closed again. Today she opted for skinny jeans and a baggy, blue-gray long-sleeved shirt that slipped past her shoulder, with a cream-colored tank top underneath. Pulling out her comfy gray memory foam boat shoes, Rey couldn’t help but be a little grateful she wouldn’t be walking around as much today.

Re-packing was the challenge. She had very carefully stuffed everything into a tiny suitcase and wasn’t quite sure how all of it was going to fit it all back in. She hadn’t even bought any souvenirs yet. All her money was spent on food yesterday. Not a choice she regretted at all, but then why didn’t her suitcase want to close?

Fifteen minutes later, she rolled the damnable thing out to the elevator. Ben wasn’t in the lobby when she arrived, but she _was_ a bit early, so she wheeled over to the front desk and started checking out.

“Good morning.” His deep voice entered into her ear just as she handed the clerk her key card. “Sorry I’m late.”  
  
Rey turned and found Ben standing beside her, smiling apologetically as he leaned against the counter. Today his massive form was covered in slim black slacks and a deep crimson blazer. He’d topped it with a black knit scarf that made him look so damn put together, yet effortless at the same time.  
  
“You’re not late?” Rey said, flushing immediately and suddenly feeling sloppily dressed in comparison.  
  
He chuckled. “By Japanese standards, I am.”  
  
Rey shrugged and smiled before the desk clerk handed her a receipt and wished her a pleasant journey. Ben took the handle of her suitcase before she could protest and spun it around to the front desk.  
  
“Can we store her bag while we go out?”

* * *

Soon after, Rey had a ticket in her hand as they walked out the door. The streets were busy as usual. There didn’t seem to be a time of day when Tokyo wasn’t bustling with people. Most of them in business suits with briefcases going somewhere important. Others in more casual clothes, looking stylish. Rey wondered what they were doing, what their lives were like that they could dress like this on a Monday. Then there were the tourists. Westerners like her. A few looked like obvious anime fans, the others, she wasn’t so sure. Seeing them in their own little packs was almost comforting. Surely she would have gravitated toward some of them if it hadn’t been for Ben.  
  
“So where are we going?”

He just smirked as they turned left and began walking. “Denny’s.”

Rey stopped. “Denny’s?”

“Yup.” Ben kept walking as if this wasn’t a surprise.

“As in the American restaurant??”

“Yup.”

“ _Why??_ ”

“You’ll see,” he chimed as they pushed past more commuters outside a station entrance.  
  
And it did turn out that Denny’s in Japan was nothing like the Denny’s back home. For one, it actually looked like they used fresh vegetables. And there were Japanese-style meals right next to Western-style ones on their breakfast menu. Rey scanned it with eyes wide before settling on something with eggs, miso soup, and sausage.  
  
“You have to choose between rice and toast,” Ben pointed out. “And it comes with anything from the drink bar.”

The drink bar had all kinds of tea, coffee, sodas and juices. She decided to try melon soda, but quickly decided the tangy, super sweet drink wasn’t for her and returned for a normal, safe cup of tea. Ben just chuckled as he sipped on his own black coffee.

“So, I have a friend in Kyoto,” Ben started as they dug into their meals. “He’s studying for his guiding license. I thought maybe you two could meet up and he could show you around the city.”

Rey lifted her eyes from her eggs and toast to meet his. He chewed as he waited on her answer, cocking an eyebrow as she scanned his face. “Are you serious?”

Ben nodded and swallowed. “I texted him this morning, so I don’t know if he’s free, but I know he’d be happy to get the practice in.”

Putting down her toast, Rey felt a knot form in her stomach. Part of her wanted to beg Ben to come instead, but that would be unfair. He had a job. He had a life other than her and he’d already been so giving with his time. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and smiled. “That’s so sweet of you. Thank you.”  
  
Ben nodded and raised his coffee mug to his lips, but Rey thought she saw the hint of a smile.

 

* * *

 

The walk back to her hotel and onto the station was dreadful. She couldn’t think of anything to talk about, and Ben kept absentmindedly checking his phone for a reply from his friend. Plus a cold wind had picked up and made Rey feel dreadful. She had to dig around for a tissue to wipe her nose a few times, and she was sure a few pieces of hair had come loose from her bun. Of course the wind only made Ben’s hair look more appropriately tussled, especially after he ran his hand through it a few times. But overall, it was a miserable way to spend these last few moments with him.

They had to take a subway line to Tokyo Station where she could take the bullet train. When they arrived, he walked her to the ticket office and helped as she reserved the ticket for her bullet train, then turned and headed toward the ticket gate. He stopped by the station master’s desk and began speaking in rapidfire Japanese with the uniformed woman there, pointing to Rey a few times. Rey just stood there, unsure of what to do, until the woman took the ID card that Ben handed to her and nodded.  
  
“That was lucky,” Ben said as they entered the shinkansen platform. “I told her you were my visiting cousin and I wanted to see you off.”  
  
Rey gave him a look and he laughed. “Hey, it worked! You should buy some snacks for the train.”

Ben had clearly noticed her love of food because she found herself being whisked back and forth to stores that sold all kinds of foods, from bento box meals she could eat on the train, to little convenience stores that sold rice balls, booze, and all sorts of other goodies. Apparently she could even buy food on the train, but some inarizushi caught her eye, so she got that and a fizzy peach soft drink.  
  
Ben showed her how to find her car and how to line up for the train with the other passengers, but instead of joining the line, he held back and Rey stood with him on the open air platform.  Her backpack felt heavier than usual. Everything did.

“Probably should have stayed a bit longer in Tokyo,” Rey ventured after they exchanged phone numbers.

“But Kyoto’s beautiful,” Ben murmured as he checked his phone again for a text from Mitaka. “You’ll love it there. It’s worth seeing.”

Rey was sure it was, but she didn’t want to leave his side yet and she hated goodbyes.

“And you’ll be back,” he added.  
  
She nodded, feeling that lump in her throat again.  
  
A sentence formed in her mind, but before Rey got the chance to say it, an announcement came on over the loudspeakers. She didn’t understand much of it, just the words “Shinkansen” and “Kyoto.”  
  
When she looked over at Ben, he nodded his head toward the line of passengers. She rolled her luggage over and watched as the train blew fast into the station. It seemed to stretch on forever. Rey found herself wishing it would just continue on and leave her there with Ben, but eventually it slowed and stopped. Passengers disembarked while the ones in front of her waited patiently for their turn to enter. They slipped into the train with practiced ease, and Rey’s stomach sunk the closer she got to the front.  
  
Finally it was her turn to step aboard. Ben lifted her suitcase up the step with ease and stood just at the entrance to the train. She was nearly his height like this, just a few inches taller thanks to the train.  
  
“Guess this is goodbye for now,” Rey managed to say as she gripped the handle of the suitcase, her knuckles turning white. “I’ll text you when I get back to Tokyo.”  
  
Something dark flashed in Ben’s eyes and suddenly he leaned forward. She felt his hand on her hip before his lips crashed gently into hers. There was a sense of urgency about his kiss, but Rey could tell he still wanted it to be tender and soft, not too rushed. Her body roared at the thrill of his touch and she realized he hadn’t laid a hand on her today. Now she knew why things felt so odd all morning and the tension left her body.  
  
Pulling back momentarily, Ben looked up at her with expectant eyes and Rey breathed his name before he went in for a deeper kiss. This time, he pulled her closer and caught her lower lip between his teeth so gently that she didn’t expect it when he slipped his tongue into her mouth next. A little moan escaped from the back of her throat and Ben’s grip on her hip tightened.  
  
“Anno...Sumimasen?” came a voice from somewhere behind Ben.  
  
He jerked up instantly and turned to see a very flustered station attendant and a number of passengers glaring at them. Rey turned bright red and pushed herself to the wall so they could enter, hating that it blocked Ben from her view.  
  
When they’d all filed through, she stepped forward to see if Ben was still there.  He stepped back towards the train door and Rey sighed with relief to see he was still there.  
Somehow, not even realizing it until that very moment, she was afraid that Ben would run off and abandon her right there.  
  
He was pink from his cheeks to his ears and the station attendant was eying him warily. It took all her willpower not to jump off the train and into his arms.

  
“Rey…” Maybe he would jump on board with her? “I-”

The announcement system switched on and Ben gave her a panicked look as he stepped back. “Will you text me when you get to Kyoto? So I know you’re alright?”

Her eyes widened and she nodded furiously, begging herself not to start crying. In the next instant the train doors closed between them, and Rey sucked a deep breath into her lungs.  
  
“Ben…”  
  
It was useless, he couldn’t hear her now. She pressed a hand to the glass window, and he looked down at it and smiled. Rey tried to smile too, but the train tugged forward and she stumbled slightly. Then she watched Ben get further and further away from her until all she saw were the buildings surrounding the tracks.  
  
Aside from the initial jerk, however, the ride was actually quite smooth. Rey didn’t find herself being jostled like she would have growing up riding London’s trains. She was able to roll her suitcase into the car and tuck it behind a seat without needing to hold onto anything.

The other passengers, or at least the ones who had seen them kissing, followed her every movement until she reached her seat. Ben had specifically gotten her a window seat on the right side of the train so she could see Mt. Fuji if the skies were clear. Rey settled in and that was when it hit her.

_He likes you back._  
  
Her fingers reached to graze her lips. She could still feel him there, the nip of his teeth and the softness of his thick lips. Her hip was hot with the memory of his hand there.

_He likes you back._  
  
City began to turn into suburb before her in the window, but Rey couldn’t concentrate on the scenery. A million questions filled her mind. Why didn’t she just jump off the train? What did this mean for him? Did he just want a quick lay? Did he want something more? How the heck was she going to survive the next four days without any of these answers?

She was snapped out of her reverie by the ping of a text message. Ben’s number. Another ping quickly followed it.

 

_Mitaka just got back to me. He’ll meet you at the station._

 

**_Ben sent you a contact_ ** ****__  
  


****_Oh, thanks!_

 

_I hope I wasn’t being too forward earlier._

 

Rey gulped. There was no doubt that he meant the kiss, but hadn’t it been obvious that she enjoyed it? Had she kissed him back? Oh god had she kissed him back??? She was so focused on the fact that he was kissing her and how his lips had felt on her and how much she wanted him to keep kissing her. Her brain didn’t have time to form an answer before her phone pinged again.  
_  
_ _I really like you, Rey. I was thinking, maybe I could meet you in Hakone?_

_  
_ _When would you come to Hakone?_

 

After typing for a moment, Rey took a deep breath and pressed send.

_I like you too._

_:)_  
_  
_ When are you getting there?

 

Rey had to put her phone down and take a deep breath. This was moving so fast that she didn’t know how to keep up. But it had to move fast, didn’t it? She would be in Hakone in two days time and after that she would only be in Japan a few more days…

Another ping snapped her out of her thoughts again.  
  
_What’s your hotel in Hakone?_

 

_Guesthouse Azito. Should be there in the afternoon on Wednesday_  


If Rey remembered correctly Rose had booked them beds at a funky capsule hotel for the fun of it. And she couldn’t imagine someone of Ben’s height fitting comfortably into a capsule. And it wouldn’t make for the most romantic couple of days together.

 

_Can you cancel your room? I’ll book something better._

 

Rey blinked at his latest message. Cancel? Could she? She searched for the voucher that Rose had sent her via email, and sure enough Booking.com would let her cancel until the end of the day.

  
  
_Yeah, I can cancel it. Are you sure?_

  
_  
_ _Very sure. Want to see you again already_

 

_I wish you could have come to Kyoto with me_

  
God, that was such a needy thing to say. Rey felt flushed, the heat crawling down her neck and chest to lower places. It was obvious that Ben would book a room for the both of them to share. Probably with only one bed. Rey had to stop that train of thought before it got to be too much. She was in public.

_I wish I could have too_  


Rey wondered where she could get condoms in Japan. Dirty thoughts aside, she had to be prepared for that possibility. Or more like that eventuality _._

_  
_ _I hope I’m not moving too fast for you_

With that, Rey could almost see Ben in her mind’s eye, all flushed and nervous like he was on the station platform. God, he was so adorable like that.

_You’re not_

_I feel the same_  


Her phone now silent, Rey turned back to the landscapes speeding past her window. They’d stopped at one station already, and judging by the increase in buildings, they were about to come up on another. A quick glance to left revealed the seaside just as the announcement system chimed about the next stop being “Shin-Yokohama.”

A few people got up from their seats and Rey took the chance to look around the car. It was nicer than American trains by far, though not quite as cozy as the British trains she remembered from her childhood. Instead it seemed quite utilitarian. There was a coat hook, which Rey thought was a nice touch, and a menu for the food cart that had already passed by once. A few people had their bags sitting in front of their feet, as there was plenty of legroom.  
  
It was so very comfortable that once the train pulled out of the station, Rey found herself dozing in her seat, waking only at station announcements. When they hit Nagoya Station, she realized that Kyoto was only a few stops away and she should probably stay awake. She opened her little bento box (an “ekiben”, Ben had called it) and munched on the delicious tofu skin pockets filled with tangy sushi rice.

_Ping!_

Rey looked down at her phone expecting another text from Ben, but instead it was from an unknown number. She unlocked her phone.

 

_Hi Rey! This is Mitaka. I’ll be waiting for you at the exit of the Shinkansen platforms. Have a good trip!_

 

_Hi Mitaka, thanks for letting me know. See you soon!_

 

Rey stepped off the train half expecting Ben to be there, just like he had been every day of her trip so far. Instead, she was greeted by a rush of people scurrying off to their next destination, and those hurrying to catch the train she’d just exited.

Mitaka was waiting for her at the other side of the ticket gate with a printed sign. He was shorter than Ben, though just a tad taller than Rey, with short black hair styled like a Japanese businessman and a nervous smile. He shook Rey’s hand with a polite bow.  
  
“So nice to meet you, Rey. Welcome to Kyoto.”  
  
Rey bowed slightly back. “Nice to meet you too. Thanks for meeting me here. I guess Ben told you about my mishaps in Tokyo.”  
  
“That he did. I guess he was worried about you,” Mitaka chuckled lightly and Rey found herself missing Ben’s deeper laugh. But it was unfair to compare the two men when one had already stolen her heart. “Shall we drop your bags off at your hotel then?”

 

* * *

  
After she’d checked in, Mitaka had taken her down Nishiki Market for a light lunch. The single lane pedestrian street was crowded with tourists making their way up and down, and much more colorful than Tsukiji’s market streets. But everywhere your head turned there were interesting snacks like sesame dumplings or fish cakes, or typical Japanese pickled vegetables piled up for sale. Rey never even knew you could make some of them into pickles, but apparently the little Japanese grannies running the stalls had figured it out. They smiled at her graciously as she lingered above the salty barrels, knowing that she wasn’t there to buy their wares, but friendly anyway.  
  
“Ben told me you liked good food,” he had said as Rey paid for some grilled kobe steak on a skewer.  
  
“Guess I have a reputation now,” Rey said, smiling. She did wish he’d left out that little detail, but she didn’t mind spending more money on food than knick knacks.

Grabbing her phone to take a picture of her steak to send to Finn and Rose back home, she decided to flip the phone to selfie mode.  
  
“Hey Mitaka, let’s take a picture for Ben,” she said over her shoulder.  
  
In the viewfinder, Mitaka turned and looked toward the camera, flashing a peace sign when he realized what Rey was doing. “Chee-su!”

Rey laughed and bit on her steak skewer before pressing the shutter. The photo looked a little goofy with her teeth sticking out, but she sent it anyway as she munched away on the skewer. The meat turned out to be more chewy than tender, but the citrus-y garlic sauce it had been dipped in made it worth it.

They continued on chatting away about the food and about Mitaka’s background. Apparently he was part-German, but a quarter Japanese, and he so had come back to his grandparents’ homeland to learn more about it. He’d fallen in love with the country and decided to stay.

They hopped onto a bus towards the Gion district, hoping to catch geishas or their apprentice maikos on their way to meet a client. They didn’t have any luck, but Rey marveled at the old wooden houses and cobblestone streets, so unlike anything she saw in Tokyo.

With no glass windows facing the streets, she could only make out the soft glow of light from rice paper doors. It gave the streets an eerie feeling as the evening darkened, almost like they were walking through an abandoned town, despite the fact that there were plenty of people and cars around.  
  
Eventually, Mitaka led her back to her hotel after Rey declined dinner. Truly she had gorged herself in the market, and still felt a little full even after all that walking. Not that it would have stopped her from eating, but her aching feet made her call it quits. The soreness had returned to remind her how much she and Ben had walked the day before.  
  
With plans to meet again in the morning, Mitaka left and Rey headed upstairs to rest. Her room was tiny again, but she was starting to get used to that. As long as there was enough space for her to put her luggage down and move around the room, it wasn’t so bad. The bathrooms were tiny, but still useable too. And Rey wasn’t the claustrophobic type after growing up in tiny hovels in London. When it came down to it, the human body could adapt to most any cramped living situation as long as it was a fairly comfortable place to sleep.

The bed felt luxurious after another long day and Rey pulled out her phone to text Finn and Rose pictures from her day. Instead she saw a missed text notification from Ben.

_You look cute. Hope you and Mitaka had fun_

She blushed, even though there was no one there to see her mild embarrassment. Finn and Rose told her she was cute or pretty all the time, and she supposed it wasn’t a lie, but that was what friends were supposed to say. This was different. It sent a wave of heat down to her core and left her sighing.

She imagined Ben sinking down onto the bed beside her. Perhaps he would sit for a moment and take her body in before he touched her. Maybe, since he seemed the type to check on her well-being, he’d give her a foot massage to help relieve some of the throbbing in her soles. He’d definitely have to curl his body around hers when he laid down with her. She wondered what it would feel like to have him that close, to have his warmth totally envelop her.

A hand reached down to graze at her folds, and Rey found herself already slick. Her fingers slid in easily and brought more moisture out to her clit. She circled a few times and found the bundle of nerves too sensitive for more at the moment, and so returned to pumping her fingers inside her. Closing her eyes, Rey found all the places Ben had touched her. The small of her back, her hand, her hip, her lips. She remembered his scent and the way he’d felt on her as the rush hour crowds pushed them too close together. The way he’d hugged her as they parted yesterday.

Her fingers returned to her clit, touching it gently so as not to bring herself too close too quickly. Rey’s mind wandered to how Ben would react when they met up in Hakone. He seemed hungrier than she might have guessed at first glance. Ben might do his best to be a gentleman in public, but she suspected that underneath that ran a dark current that wanted to pull her in and consume her whole. Her heart raced at the thought of him pushing her down onto a bed and fucking her hard and fast, then whispering sweet nothings in her ear as they came down together.

It took no time at all for her to come on her fingers as Rey bit down on her pillow to stifle a moan. Normally she languished in bed for a better part of an hour before hitting the right mood and the right feeling when she masturbated, but Ben…  
  
She had barely known him for 48 hours and he’d made her come from halfway across the country. A shiver ran down her spine in anticipation. Wednesday couldn’t come fast enough.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed that!
> 
> Remember comments are love!


	4. Day 4: Kyoto City Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Mitaka leads her around Japan's cultural capital, Rey can't help but pine after Ben. But is he really all that he seems?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo sorry guys, life got in the way in a *MAJOR* way. But don't worry, I am dedicated to finishing this fic. Thanks for being patient. 
> 
> Huge thanks to [Zabeta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zabeta/pseuds/Zabeta) for stepping into beta this time. I'm so grateful!

 

Mitaka picked her up from her hotel just past nine in the morning. Rey gorged herself on rice balls and other convenience store goodies for breakfast, as well as a matcha latte from the Starbucks across the street. She just had to know if Japanese Starbucks did any better with tea than their American counterparts and was pleasantly surprised by the earthy flavors mixed with cream and sugar. 

Unfortunately she hadn’t slept well after forgetting to take her melatonin pill the night before. Apparently jet lag was worse than she remembered.  


Mitaka proved to be a delightful guide. As they made their way to Fushimi Inari Shrine, the first stop of the day, he spoke about Kyoto’s rich history as the Imperial capital and the rise of the Shogunate in Edo. It was far more than Ben was able to tell her, and she found herself hanging on Mitaka’s every word.

The shrine itself was pretty, with a magnificent red altar and lively fox guardian statues, but it wasn’t until they entered one the long passages of torii gates that Rey understood why it was popular. Something about them felt magical, like the red-orange gates were a pathway to another world. Even with the crowds surrounding them as Mitaka took her picture, she could feel the spiritual energy radiating around her.  


Ben floated into her mind for the first time that day. Rey half expected him to be waiting for her around a bend in the gates, a serene smile on his face. Like the gods housed here would summon him for her. She kept climbing up through the shrine until they reached a small lake and stopped for a breather.   
  
“Do you want to do the whole hike?” Mitaka asked, panting slightly. “It’s about two hours up and down the mountain.”    
  
Rey blinked back the fog that had entered her head and realized she was panting from exertion too. “Oh! No, I... Let’s go somewhere else.”   


Mitaka led her back down the mountain and to a little train station while he went on about fox deities and the Shinto religion.  She took a moment to turn on her pocket wifi and texted Ben the picture of her at the shrine.

Their next stop happened to be the Imperial Palace. Rey had never seen anything else quite like it. Sure, as a child she had passed Buckingham Palace several times. It was just a regular feature in London, but this palace was in another category altogether, unlike anything she could have imagined.. The imposing thatched roof gate loomed over them as they entered. It wasn’t opulent by any means, but Rey instinctively knew that it was meant to intimidate. As if to drive home the point, the halls were austere, most of the decor being the elaborately painted walls with cedar branches and dragons.

“Most of the real treasures are still with the Imperial Household in Tokyo,” Mitaka told her as they took in two ornate thrones, some of the only pieces of furniture on display.  


As astonishing as the palace was, it was the gardens that really took her breath away. They seemed so peaceful and green and perfect that Rey wanted to launch herself over the barriers and stroll leisurely through the little rolling hills and over the pond bridges. She could imagine some ancient empress doing just that, perhaps arm-in-arm with a handsome young man.

Thinking of Ben again, she turned on her pocket wifi to check her messages and found a few texts from him.

 

_ You look beautiful  
Are you having fun with Mitaka? _

 

Rey bit her lip and smiled to herself as she typed out a reply.   
  


_ Yes! Kyoto is so beautiful and otherworldly _   
  


She snapped a picture of the gardens and sent it to Ben. Looking up, she saw Mitaka patiently waiting for her. He raised his eyebrows and smiled, “Ready for lunch?”

Sitting down for a large bowl of udon was a nice reprieve, as Rey could feel her feet start to ache again. The discomfort had become a steady thrum throughout the morning and she feared there was more pain to come. Thankfully their next stop, Kinkaku-ji temple, was a good 20 minutes away by bus, allowing her another chance to rest.  


Mitaka was just telling her of how a young monk burned down the famous Golden Pavilion in 1950 when she felt her phone vibrate in her bag. She must have forgotten to turn the pocket wifi off.  


Mitaka’s lectures on the history and legends of Kyoto were so engrossing, she felt guilty for letting her mind slip away to what the message  could be. Had Ben responded? What might he have said? When could she check without being too rude?    
  
She finally satisfied her curiosity when they stepped off the bus and walked across the street to the temple entrance.   


 

_ Broke one of your plates sorry! _

 

Finn. Another text came through promising to replace the damaged item.  


 

_ Thanks love! _

 

She sent him some photos just for good measure.

 

_ Managed to get a free guided tour around Kyoto, lucky me! _

 

“Rey,” Mitaka called out to her politely.  


She wasn’t sure what he was alerting her to until she was surrounded by a large swarm of tourists, Chinese by the looks of it, headed towards the same temple. He put a hand on her back just to keep from getting separated and let the crowd pass.    
  
“Sorry, should have warned you how crowded it can get. It’s a popular spot,” Mitaka said, laughing. His hand slipped away and Rey’s thoughts immediately returned to Ben, whose hand would have found its way lower or drifted up around her shoulders. She missed that sensation.

Something in the more reasonable part of her mind told her to stop and focus on the wonderful day she was having. Her lizard brain wanted nothing but Ben. His touch on her body, his voice in her ear, quiet moments alone in a crowd just to kiss him again. It was almost enough to distract her from the Golden Pavilion that had just come into view. Almost.

“Wow,” she breathed.  


The pavilion rose out of the pond like a dazzling mirage surrounded by a halo of autumn leaves with their wild colors.

Mitaka chuckled beside her. “Yeah, that’s usually what people say when they first see it.”  


Rey walked toward the edge of the pond opposite the pavilion, pushing between the throngs of other tourists snapping photos to find a free spot. She stared in awe for a long moment at what looked like a solid, brilliant gold building. Of course, Mitaka had mentioned earlier that it was really covered in gold leaf, but the end result was incredible.    


She was surprised to notice Mitaka had managed to stay by her side despite everyone jostling for space. “Do you want a photo of yourself?”

“Yes, thanks!” she smiled as she handled her phone to the man once again. She smiled a bit wider as Mitaka raised the lens to get a good angle, but her thoughts ran wild.

Images of Ben attempting to take pictures with her, having to duck down so his height wouldn’t block the temple, his pathetic attempt at a photogenic smile, his real one coming through once she laughed at him.    
  
These thoughts took her all the way through the rest of the idyllic temple gardens, onto another bus, and into the Ryoani-ji Zen Temple. She heard everything Mitaka was telling her. She could even pause long enough to play a little game with him trying to spot all of the 15 stones laid out in the famous Zen garden, one of which was always hidden from view no matter what. But her mind would stray back to Ben every chance it got.

She had already sent him a picture from Kinkaku-ji Temple with her and the Golden Pavilion, but no reply came in until Mitaka had led her far away from Kyoto’s city center to the Arashiyama area. They were walking down a tourist street lined with shops and food stands that she couldn’t help but drool over when she heard the little noise from inside her purse.  


 

_ Wish I were there. Want to kiss you again so bad. _

 

Rey’s breath hitched as she read the words, her brain immediately imagining him kissing her in all the beautiful places Mitaka had taken her. His lips curling up into a smile as they pulled back to gaze into each other’s eyes. She typed out a reply that normally would have felt  far too bold.

 

_ Come to Kyoto when you get off work? _

_  
_ _ Can’t. Sensei has an event tonight. I have to be there _

 

There wasn’t any way that Rey could avoid being disappointed by that answer, even if it didn’t change anything. They would still see each other tomorrow in Hakone. 

 

_ Too bad  
Tomorrow then? _

 

_ Definitely tomorrow _

 

Tomorrow seemed ages away now and Rey had to force her concentration back to Mitaka just for the distraction. He wasn’t talking for once, but looking back at her every few steps to make sure she was still following.    
  
“Texting Ben?” he asked when she caught up properly.    
  
“Oh, yeah.”   


“I must admit I’m surprised. He’s never been interested in a girl in all the time I’ve known him.”

Rey’s eyebrows raised. “How long have you known each other?”

Mitaka lifted his eyes to the sky as he did the math in his head. “Hmm, about five years now. I’ve been studying here in Kyoto the past two, but I was in Tokyo when I first moved to Japan.”

“Oh wow.”    
  
“Yeah, I thought he was gay at first and so I tried hitting on him.”   
  
“Oh no!” Rey exclaimed, unable to keep from laughing. “That must have been awkward.”

Thankfully Mitaka laughed too. “He was very gracious about it. That’s why we’re still friends.”

They fell silent again as they approached the Arashiyama bamboo groves, the main reason they had come out all this way. Mitaka led her into a little shrine with a moss garden.   
  
“We should buy charms here,” he said after they’d taken in the gardens. “They’re known for their love charms. I had a friend who prayed to become pregnant here and it worked!”

“What would I even wish for?” Rey asked automatically, not thinking about how it might sound

“Well, I usually get the luck in love charm, but you seem to have some already.”  


That made her take a mental and literal step back. Was she in love with Ben? This soon? Everything had happened so, so fast. Maybe she was just horny and lonely, and so was Ben.

Mitaka was already pointing out the various charms, his attention focused on the little elaborately embroidered packets. One for pregnancy, one for happy marriage, one for finding a partner. The one for luck in love was a light purple, the characters in Japanese woven in gold thread.

Rey ran a finger over it and let her thoughts linger. Either way she could use luck in love. If not with Ben, then back home when she had satisfied whatever urges were taking over her brain.    
  
“Why not?” she said, picking one up. “Can’t hurt.”   
  
Mitaka smiled and picked one up for himself as well. “You’re right!”

She clutched it as they strolled through the endlessly green bamboo groves, willing it to do something. What that something was she was not quite sure. Ben was stuck in Tokyo for the night, and tomorrow felt distant. Perhaps she should have found a charm to make time go faster.

They made it through all the forest paths and Rey begged for a break. Luckily they had passed many restaurants, so it wasn’t long before Mitaka picked out a favorite and they were seated in a private little room ordering yuzu-flavored cocktails and grilled skewers of meat.    
  


“The one nice thing about having to take your shoes off all the time is that it gives your poor feet some time to breathe,” she declared as she stretched out in their little tatami mat room. Their table was really too big for two people, but underneath the table was a place for her feet to hang down instead of having to fold them under her knees, and the floor was heated. A bamboo curtain shielded them from the rest of the restaurant.  


“Being on your feet all day definitely takes some getting used to,” Mitaka sighed. “But even after a year of training, mine still get sore at the end of the day.”

“Mine feel like they haven’t recovered from the other day when Ben took me around Tokyo,” Rey said as she cracked her feet.  


“I’ll have to keep that in mind when I start getting real clients.”

Their food came a few minutes later, and Rey gorged herself on dozens of skewers and side dishes. One, an avocado filled with tofu skin with a dash of flavorful soy sauce, wound up being her favorite and she texted a picture to Rose and Finn.

“Texting Ben again?” Mitaka said before biting into a piece of chicken and green onion skewer.  


Rey looked up, feeling embarrassed that she’d been caught staring at her phone again. “Nah, friends back home. Ben said he was at an event with his teacher tonight.”

Mitaka smiled and nodded, but it felt like there was something lying beneath the surface of his question. Rey smiled back despite the encroaching sense of nervousness that stayed for the rest of the meal and their journey back to central Kyoto.  


She almost thought it was nothing until Mitaka pulled back from a hug goodbye and looked her in the eye. “Be careful with Ben.”

“Why do you say that?”

Mitaka frowned. “The people around him… They’re not a good influence. I worry that they’ll pull him down to their level.”

Rey scanned his face for some kind of clarification. “I don’t understand.”

He sighed and seemed even more troubled. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I doubt that Ben would treat you badly.”   
  
Not knowing what to say to that, Rey shifted on her feet, trying to ease the ache and connect the strange dots between what Mitaka was saying and what she knew of Ben. She didn’t know anything about the people around Ben. Only that he was apprenticed to a calligraphy master. What kind of problems could that cause?   
  
“Don’t worry too much,” he laughed awkwardly. “Just enjoy the rest of your trip and send my best to Ben.”   


Rey gave Mitaka another quick hug and folded a few thousand yen into one of his hands. “Thank you so much for today, Mitaka. You were amazing.”   
  
He blushed deeply and thanked her profusely, bowing low as they parted. “My first tip! Thank you, Rey!”

It was hard not to think about Mitaka’s strange warning again as she flopped down on her bed and cracked her feet. And Ben…

They had talked about a lot of different things during the little time they had spent together, and Rey found herself cataloguing each fact she knew about Ben. He was originally from Orange County, not too far from where she lived in LA. He went to art school. His uncle was also an artist. He liked calligraphy. He grew up Jewish, and didn’t eat pork or seafood because it still didn’t appeal much to him. His last name was Solo, like the brand of cups. He did calligraphy and worked in a calligraphy shop. He loved the Hamarikyu Gardens. His favorite ramen place was vegetarian.

It all felt so superficial and it stung for a moment until Rey thought more about him. The way Ben smiled, the way he held her, the way his hair fell across his eyes, his surprising shyness. They had only just met, and the chemistry between them was burning strong, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to dig deeper and learn more about him.

Rey let herself drift off, lost in thought, until her phone pinged.  


 

_ I’ll take the 11 am train to Odawara Station tomorrow. If you take the 10 am train from Kyoto, you’ll get there just after I do. _

 

She might not have been sure how she felt about Ben’s mysterious depths, but there was no denying the way he made her smile and shiver in anticipation.

 

_ I’ll be there _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, sorry everyone. Like I said, life got in the way sooo so much. April/May is always a weird time for me because of Fanime and this year I had the Reylo Fanfiction Anthology and my evil stepmother to deal with too.
> 
> The restaurant in Arashiyama isn't real this time, but there are plenty of interesting places to eat including a tofu place that I really want to try. The avocado and tofu dish is real, but I had it in Hiroshima at a place I can't remember the name of. You can, however, eat at restaurants with privacy covers and heated floors. It's very nice when it's cold out. 
> 
> All the other places are also real, and you can visit them if you ever go to Kyoto. It's worth noting that the shrine in Arashiyama exists and the tour guide who led us there bought a charm for pregnancy and got pregnant shortly after our trip! My own love charm hasn't kicked in yet, but I'm still hoping!
> 
> Hopefully next chapter will come a little faster. Until then, happy reading!


	5. Day 5: Kyoto to Hakone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey finally meet up again in Kyoto, but not before Rey tracks down something she thinks she's going to need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Aionimica](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aionimica/pseuds/aionimica) is back in the beta-reading seat! Thank you for helping out!!!
> 
> I make no promises on when the next chapter will be, especially since I have a work trip coming up soon. Try not to murder me!

_ _

_ Condoms. _

 

It was the first thing on Rey’s mind when she woke up in the morning, as her alarm chimed.  

 

After an hour spent getting ready, Rey headed to the Family Mart and tried to surreptitiously scan the aisles for the familiar little boxes as she got some breakfast food. There were an awful lot of allergy masks and tiny mystery bottles with vitamin C, but nothing that looked like a box of condoms.   
  


Feeling dejected, she took her rice balls over to the Starbucks, grabbed a matcha tea latte and pondered her predicament. Would Ben bring his own condoms? Or would he be disappointed if she didn’t have any on hand? Rey definitely did not want to kill the mood when they reunited in Hakone. Especially since she didn’t know if she could resist Ben’s touch.   
  
It was then that she looked up and noticed the storefront she was walking past. She didn’t remember it the day before, but it had a number of displays with what looked like cosmetics and medicine. 

 

_ Condoms? _

 

* * *

An hour later, she rolled out of the hotel and to the nearest subway station, bag packed with her foil-wrapped spoils. It was a small box, only three. Just in case things didn’t work out. Japanese condoms were kind of expensive, and Rey didn’t want to spend all her money on condoms there was so much delicious food to eat.

 

Luckily the Kyoto subways were far less packed during rush hour than Tokyo’s. She had enough room to stand comfortably as she took the train down to Kyoto Station. It felt almost familiar now, the thrum of the trains, the workers engrossed in their phones and newspapers. She felt more confident as she exited at Kyoto Station and headed towards the sign indicating the bullet train. There, she found the office and reserved her ticket to Odawara Station and Ben. 

 

There was still time before her train, so she went shopping in the little stores, just to see what kind of interesting bentos there were. Her stomach growled at the sight of a few of them and Rey decided to whip out her phone.

 

_ I’m buying some bento boxes for lunch _

 

Ben’s reply was quick, almost instant.

 

_ I figured you might. Have fun! _

 

Rey blushed at that. He must have expected to hear from her. He probably expected her to have some random question or be unable to find something, but she found her way just fine this time. 

 

_ Can’t wait to see you in a few hours _

 

Clicking off the phone, Rey turned back to the bento boxes, hoping the walls of food would make her think about anything besides the fact that she still had more than two hours before she’d see him again. There were photos of delicious-looking beef, what looked like eel, pork cutlets… 

 

_ Ping!  _ She glanced at her phone.   
  
_ Did you find your platform okay? _

 

_ Yes mother _

 

_ Don’t forget your jacket! _

 

Rey smiled as her hand lingered over a pork cutlet bento, enjoying his sense of humor. Excitement was beginning to build inside of her, curling and uncurling in her stomach as she tried to calm herself down and be patient. Grabbing the bento, she headed toward the checkout line and dared herself to be distracted enough to stop thinking about Ben. 

 

It worked until she got onto the train.

 

The ride itself felt like agony. At first she counted the buildings, but even as the train got out of Kyoto and Rey watched the countryside flick past her window, Ben was still in the back of her mind. What would he be like when he first saw her again? What would the next few days together be like? There was so much that could go wrong, and her mind swirled with the worst possibilities.

 

One thought kept rising to the top: Rey knew almost nothing about Ben. While she knew there was plenty of opportunity to bridge that gap in the days to come, it made her beyond nervous that things were moving so fast when they were practically strangers.   
  
She pulled out her phone and quickly searched for his name. The results were almost non-existent. A few pieces of art from a college show that had gotten some press coverage. An old, abandoned Facebook page. Other people with similar names. 

 

Rey bit her lip. Nothing about his time in Japan. Her phone pinged in her bag.

 

_ I’ll find your platform and wait for you _

 

Rey bit her lip in anticipation and took out her bento. Food was always one of her best distractors and she hoped it would distract her from Ben for a few minutes, at least.

 

* * *

  
The train finally pulled into the station. Rey clutched the straps of her backpack as she waited to exit the train. Once she hit the platform, she followed the crowd to the exit, scanning the throngs of people.

 

She spotted Ben as she approached the turnstiles, bobbing above a sea of far shorter heads. His eyes were still searching the crowds, but when they landed on her, his face morphed with excitement. Rey’s stomach fluttered as she passed through the gates and made they made their way through the crowds.

  
As soon as the last person between them moved away, Ben reached over and slipped an arm around Rey’s hips.    
  
“Hi,” he said, voice low and deep, for her ears only.

 

“Hi,” she whispered back, trying to contain her excitement as his head bent towards hers. 

 

It felt as perfect as the first time, his soft lips meeting hers gently, then again with hunger. Time felt warped as her focus narrowed in on Ben’s touch. Everything seemed slower than normal except for her thudding heart, racing faster than she’d ever thought it could. He pressed her waist into his form and Rey thought she might faint. Anything to keep clinging to him. But this time they were both aware of the eyes all around them, and they pulled back after a few moments. His leather-gloved hand slipped into hers, tethering her before she floated away.

 

“Shall we head over to the ryokan?” Ben asked with a knowing smile on his face. Rey was sure she was staring at him with her mouth open and her eyes as big as the moon, but she honestly didn’t care.

 

“Yes.”

 

Ben tugged her gently and they started walking towards the station exit. Now she had a chance to really look at him. He was dressed in a thick, quilted down coat, black with red stitching, that reached down to his thighs. Underneath was a pair of dark grey trousers, coupled with a white shirt, topped with a scarf in rich crimson plaid. It looked beautiful against his pale skin and matched with his just-kissed lips.

 

They slid into a shuttle moments later, and Ben pulled her closer to him, away from the cold window. They spent the 20 minute ride in relative silence, Rey nestled into his side and watching the scenery pass by. The evergreens lining the mountains peaked out of blankets of snow-covered trees.   
  
“It’s a lot greener here, most of the time,” he murmured into her hair.

 

They arrived, and after leaving their shoes at the door and their passports with the front desk for check in, were escorted up to their rooms by an elegant kimono-clad woman. 

 

Rey marveled at the modern design with scattered details of traditional Japanese architecture, like the gridded, rice paper walls, each pane decorated with a dried leaf. Her neck craned at the high ceilings. This place couldn’t have been cheap. 

 

But the real shock came when they entered their room. On one side laid a large Japanese futon with a slatted headboard, the fluffy white comforter looking like a perfect cloud had formed along the floor. Ahead of that lay a sleek leather couch and a coffee table on the tatami mat floor. Beyond that were many layers of sliding doors and curtains, leading to an outside balcony overlooking the river and the mountain across the way. 

 

“We’re staying here?” Rey breathed as she took her coat off.   
  
Ben stepped over to her, his hand immediately finding the small of her back. “Yup.”

 

“It’s so fancy,” she looked up at him, only to find him smiling down at her. “How much did this cost?”

 

“A friend of mine owed me a favor, so I thought now would be a nice time to take him up on it. Is that okay? Staying together in the same room, I mean. I can ask for another room if you want.” 

 

Rey nodded. “Yes, it’s… It’s okay with me.”

 

“Shitsurei itashimasu.”   
  
When she turned, Rey saw the hostess bow and exit the room, sliding the door shut.    
  
“Finally,” Ben growled.   
  
He gripped her waist and pulled her flush against him. His other hand traveled up to her jaw and tilted her face towards his as he pressed a searing kiss to her lips. Rey melted into it, her hands wrapping themselves around Ben’s neck, her entire body seeking out the planes of his so that she could be that much closer to him. 

 

Ben’s tongue slipped into her mouth quickly, tasting her lips. And just as quickly he pulled back and left her hanging, a shameful little moan coming out of her throat without warning.    
  
“I’ve wanted to do that since the station,” he said, pressing his forehead to hers. Rey felt her chest flush as he stroked her cheek. 

 

“I’ve been wanting to do that since the first day we met,” she said with a laugh.

 

Ben’s lips pulled back into a wide smile before dipping back in to kiss her again. He shifted and tugged her in the direction of the little couch, trying to keep their mouths pressed together as they moved. 

 

He sat and stared at Rey, who stood quietly watching him back, not sure whether to climb into his lap or sit beside him. She felt frozen in place by his dark brown eyes, waiting for him to say something, to tell her what to do, how to proceed. Finally Ben tugged at her wrist, pulling her down to sit next to him. 

 

He gave her one more kiss before releasing her. “I’m moving too fast for you.”

 

Rey’s heart twinged at that. “No, I…” Blood flushed her cheeks. “I guess, a little bit. I’m not used to this sort of thing. I don’t know what to do…”   
  
Ben had pulled back in surprise. “It’s not your first time, is it?”

 

“No! No, it’s not,” Rey insisted. “It’s just that I’m used to dating more before…”

 

Ben smiled and stroked a thumb across her knuckles. “It’s okay. We don’t have to rush. What would you like to do this afternoon?”

 

Rey’s mind blanked. There were things in Hakone that she and Rose had talked about doing. There was a boat ride, some cable cars that might give them a glimpse of Mt. Fuji, museums, hot springs, all sorts of things. She found that she very much didn’t care about any of them right now.

 

“Actually, my feet have been hurting a lot,” she started. “We did a lot of walking in Tokyo, and then yesterday in Kyoto with Mitaka… I’m not used to being on my feet all day like that. I wouldn’t mind just staying in.” 

 

Ben’s eyes scanned her face, then dropped down to her feet. His smile had morphed into something different, something darker, as his gaze crawled up her calves to her thighs and back up her body to meet her eyes. Rey felt a flare of arousal deep within.   
  
“There’s an onsen here. You could go and soak your feet?” Ben asked slowly, another unspoken question hanging in his words.  _ Are you sure? _   
  
“Maybe later…” Rey replied, mesmerized by the way Ben licked his lips.   
  
He was silent for a moment, her words clearly running through his head before speaking.  “Would a foot massage help?”

 

Rey’s core burned at the thought of Ben’s hand on her legs. “Yes… Please.”

 

Immediately he leaned down and took hold of her ankles, carefully bringing them up into his lap as she shifted her weight and leaned back into the couch pillows so Ben could move her around as he liked.    
  
He began to take off her socks, slowly, one by one, stroking the places where the elastic or her shoes had pinched or rubbed her skin wrong. Rey would have never thought that such a mundane act could turn her on, but she could already feel the wetness building up between her thighs. His hand shifted to her right foot and began to knead. Rey flinched involuntarily and groaned at the sudden pressure, making Ben pause.    
  
“Too hard?” His eyes flickered from her feet to her face, a frown forming where it shouldn’t be.   
  


“No,” Rey breathed, a little too quickly to hide how affected she was becoming at these few, simple touches. “Not at all. It feels good.” 

 

The frown smoothed into a more relaxed expression, the corners of his mouth turning up just a bit as Ben resumed his kneading. Rey heard a few cracks and pops before he moved onto another section of her foot and a shudder ran up her leg straight into her core.

 

“Fuck, that feels so good,” she whimpered, twisting her hips to adjust to the slightly ticklish sensations. 

 

Grunting happily as he continued on, Rey could feel the ache of the last three days vanishing quickly. Soon he switched to her other foot and repeated the whole process, leaving Rey to groan with delight the entire time. 

 

“Your calves are probably pretty tense as well,” Ben said, moving a hand up the hem of her pants.

 

Rey never wished she was wearing a skirt before in her life, but there was a first time for everything. His fingers traveled up her leg tickling the sensitive skin on the back until his large hand got caught against the tight fabric. 

 

“I guess that’s why they normally do it over the clothes,” Ben mumbled as he pulled his hand out.

 

He moved to try his technique over her clothes, but Rey found herself grabbing his wrist instead. Their eyes met and she released him, her hand moving down to the waist of her pants. She watched his eyes shift downward as she undid the button and zipper slowly. He looked back up at her for a brief moment, questions in his eyes as she hooked her fingers into the band and began to tug the fabric down. Carefully, she bent her legs towards her, trying not to hit him in the face with an inelegant foot, and rocked her hips upward so the fabric would slip off faster. When she finally succeeded in removing the pants, she tossed them to the floor below and gently rested her legs on Ben’s lap again. 

 

His face transformed with hunger as he took in the bare skin laid before him. A few times he let his eyes travel up and down, drinking in each inch until he reached her simple white cotton panties, already damp.

 

“It feels better without clothes,” she said, shakily. Her breath had become heavy under his gaze and Rey wondered if he’d really continue the massage or drop the ruse entirely. 

 

Ben took hold of an ankle and let his fingers skim along her calf until he reached her knee. Dutifully he began to dig his thumbs into her flesh and work his way down again. “Where else are you sore?”

 

Rey’s eyebrows shot up and her mouth parted slightly. Had he begun to take his masseuse duties a little too seriously? As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the image of him touching her flooded her with desire. 

 

“My hips… and my shoulders,” she answered, running a hand over her collarbone to indicate where.    
  
“Of course,” Ben nodded, watching her every movement. After a moment, he switched legs and repeated the process while Rey continued to wriggle beside him. Then he released her and moved her legs down, prompting her to sit up.   
  
“You should lie down on the bed,” he suggested. “It’ll be more comfortable that way.”   
  
Rey stood and walked over to the bed, looking over her shoulder he followed. When she reached the edge, he stopped her with a hand on her back. “Take your shirt and bra off as well.” 

 

A shiver ran down her spine at his tone. An order, not a suggestion this time. When had the little game morph into a power play? Rey had never thought she’d be so turned on by it.

  
  


She didn’t let herself think too long on it, knowing what she wanted, and took off her shirt exposing the white bra underneath. Thank goodness she’d packed a pair of underwear that actually matched.

 

“How should I lie down?” Rey asked, turning back to Ben as she undid the hooks of her bra. Of course she knew damn well how she should do it, but she wanted him to see her first. And — if Rey was being completely honest with herself — for him to give her another order.

 

The fabric slipped down her chest and Ben’s lower lip parted. She stood there, letting him drink it all in and enjoying his reaction. He gawked openly for another moment before his expression turned stoic.

 

“On your stomach.”

 

Rey felt her cheeks burn again at his words. Dropping to her knees, she settled into the soft comforter and its warmth reminded her how cold it really was outside the bubble of their room. Her nipples had already turned into stiff peaks and when they rubbed into the fabric, Rey wished it was Ben’s hands running over her body instead. 

 

Ben knelt beside her and traced her spine lightly with his fingers. Unable to see him, Rey closed her eyes and shivered. His touch felt so much more intense like this. She heard him shift behind her and then felt his knees on either side of her hips. Before she could react, one of his large hands pressed itself below her shoulder blades.   
  
Rey’s thighs clenched together as she imagined him holding her down like this, thrusting hard. Maybe he’d reach up and pull her hair while he fucked her from behind. Now  _ there _ was something she’d never thought she’d want before.   
  
Instead, those hands drifted along her back and his fingers curled around the sides of her torso. Ben began to knead the muscles, not too gently, but not hard enough to make her squirm in discomfort. It was so relaxing that Rey began to drift off to sleep under his ministrations.   
  


His hands traveled up and down, working their way through the knots in her shoulders until he was somehow satisfied. Rey was brought back to the present by Ben shifting away from her, moving himself further back.

 

“Where does it hurt?” One of his hands had moved to the top of her hip, and Rey felt a jolt of arousal as his fingers brushed a sensitive spot she hadn’t realized existed.    
  
“Lower, I think.”    
  


The hand drifted down her side until Ben palmed her ass. “Here?”   
  
“Yes, there,” Rey breathed. She wanted to lean her hips back until she pressed against Ben’s hand. She wanted to be needy, to beg for him to ravish her already, but she also worried it would ruin the mood somehow.

 

Ben’s other hand came to the opposite cheek and he pushed his hands into the soft flesh. Rey let a little moan escape. His fingers splayed out and came dangerously to the apex of her thighs. As it was, a few fingers had slipped under the edge of her panties.

 

She failed to stifle another moan as Ben began to grope her more thoroughly, and then gasped when he shifted and his lips came into contact with her shoulder.    
  
“I don’t think that’s where you’re really sore, Rey,” he whispered in her ear as one of his hands left her skin.   
  
“No?”    
  
“No,” he responded cooly. “I think it’s a little lower.”

 

Suddenly his fingers pressed against her crotch, right below her clit. A gasp fell from her lips, harsh from the unexpected touch, morphing into an inelegant groan as those same fingers slid up towards her lips.    
  
“What do you think? Did I get it right?” Ben teased, with just a hint of amusement in his otherwise serious voice.

 

“ _ Ben… _ ”

 

“Answer me,” he said a bit more seriously. An order.   
  
“Yes! Right there.”

 

Ben kissed her shoulder. “Good girl. Do you want a deeper massage?”   
  
“Yes,” Rey said immediately, flushing at the eagerness in her voice. 

 

His fingers found their way inside her panties, pushing them to the side as he coated himself with her arousal. They ran across her lips, teasing and soaking the sensitive skin there, as Rey shivered. Gently, he dipped one deeper, easing in each knuckle until he bottomed out.

 

Rey clenched around his finger. It was thicker than she realized. She could imagine maybe two more inside her, pumping away, maybe with his lips on her clit. She moaned again, wriggled her hips, pressed them back against Ben’s hand, but he kept at his slow pace until finally she could take no more.

 

She twisted to look at him, “Ben, I need  _ more. _ ”

 

Pausing, he looked her over and slipped his finger out. Rey cried in protest at its absence and frowned at him. His face was still, watching, absorbing all the details of her body below him.   
  
“More what?” 

 

Her brow tightened further as she tried to form the words, but found herself feeling too shy.    
  
“Ben,  _ please, _ ” Rey whined, hoping that he’d understand her meaning and hating the fact that she was whining at all. It felt all wrong to be this needy, normally she was the one who played it cool in a relationship.

 

She saw his gaze move from her body to her eyes, where his expression turned to concern. His hand rose to her shoulder, encouraging Rey to turn around and lie on her back. When she did, he gave her a gentle kiss and pulled back, sitting on his knees between her legs.    
  
“Rey, I want to give you every kind of pleasure I know how…” he started as he stared directly into her eyes. “But I need to know what you want and how much you want it. You don’t need to be shy. Do you understand?”

 

Rey opened her mouth to respond, to say she understood, but did she? It felt like something between them was being left unsaid. 

 

With a gulp, she spoke again. “Tell me. Tell me so I can understand.  _ Please. _ ”    
  
That made his eyebrows raise, but as he realized her meaning a wicked grin transformed his face. Ben’s hands slid from his knees down to her ankles. He picked them up and began to pull her legs around his waist. 

 

“First…I want you to cum on my fingers.”

 

Rey nodded enthusiastically and yelped as he pulled her towards him.

  
“Then I’d love to see your mouth on my cock before I taste you myself,” Ben continued as he leaned over her, bringing their hips together and giving Rey the first taste of his size as he rubbed against her. Her lips parted and he thrust slightly, making Rey gasp. He raised an eyebrow and she realized he was waiting for an answer.

 

“Y-yes,” she croaked. “Yes to that.”    
  
Ben grunted in approval and dipped his head down to her breast, breaking eye contact to lick a stripe around one of her nipples, then he flicked it with his tongue, making Rey squirm against him.    
  
“After that,” he said, pausing to kiss her collarbone, “I want to fuck you senseless.” Another pause to nip at the tender skin on her neck. “I want to feel you cum on my cock.” His lips pressed into her jaw, then traced up to her ear. “But first you have to beg for it.”

 

Rey’s breath hitched as he bit into her earlobe and her hands curled around the muscles of his arms. “Beg?”   
  
“Yes, sweetheart. Tell me what you want and I’ll give you everything,” he purred.   
  


She turned her head so he would move and look at her, and for a moment Rey was lost in his dark brown eyes and her thoughts. It wasn’t that she didn’t know what she wanted, but to beg for it? She knew the words to give her consent — had given them already — but this was a step beyond that. 

 

“I want all that,” she said slowly. “Everything you said.”

 

Ben smiled and shifted. A hand appeared between her legs, his thumb stroking a line from her clit of her lips and back over the fabric. “Good.”   
  
“Please, Ben...”

 

His grin widened. “Better.”

 

A flush ran down her cheeks to her chest, as if she didn’t feel too open and exposed already, her body was going to make it obvious. “I want your fingers in me. More than one.”    
  
Ben grunted and shifted her panties aside, “You’re doing so good, sweetheart. How bad do you want these fingers in you?”

 

Something snapped within Rey as the tips of his fingers grazed her. She wanted him so badly, and if he needed her to say it, she’d keep saying it and saying it and saying it until he gave her what she wanted. If that’s what it took.

 

“Ben,” she whined again, pressing her hips towards him. “Please fuck me already! I don’t want to wait any longer!” 

 

It only took him a moment to find her entrance again, and then three fingers plunged as deep as they could go. Rey cried out at the sudden fullness and arched her back, squirming against his rough thrusts.

 

“That was perfect, sweetheart,” Ben breathed into her neck. “You’re doing  _ so good. _ ”  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Waits for the murdering to start._
> 
>  
> 
> Hi, also [follow me on twitter sometime!](https://twitter.com/MsCoppelia)


	6. Day 5.5: An Afternoon in Hakone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben make full use of their luxurious accommodations in Hakone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [Aionimica](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aionimica/pseuds/aionimica) for kicking my ass with this chapter in the best possible way. This story is so much better for it.

This was torture.

Not that Rey had ever really known torture, but she imagined it was a bit like this. Endless, overwhelming, so hard to resist. Luckily it was bliss, not pain. Just too much teasing. So much teasing...

Ben had made her come with his fingers twice now, eased her through both orgasms and still showed no signs of relenting. She shivered as he blew a cold breath across her wet nipple, his tongue had been circling it, only stopping to suck or bite. His other hand played with its twin, plucking her as she moaned and cried out. There was a very real danger that Rey might lose her mind if this kept up.

Her third orgasm came before that happened.

 

Ben was the only thing that keeping her grounded. His lips pressed hot against her neck, her jaw, her lips as he pulled her face towards him. The warmth of his body made her feel stable as it pressed against hers, a contrast to the cool of the room against her naked flesh all covered in goosebumps.

“Ben please,” she whined as the pump of his fingers slowed. Thankfully he had removed his thumb from her clit as she’d bucked her hips; she didn’t know if she could keep from screaming if he touched it again.

“What is it? Tell me,” he whispered. His voice was soft, clearly pleased with her, but she knew it was a command and not a question she could decline to answer. Rey would have to find the words.

“Too much,” was all she could manage.

Ben pulled back from her and immediately Rey regretted his absence. He kneeled over her, surveying the damage he’d done. Rey was still too boneless to move, but she could see Ben’s delight in the curl of his lips and the spark in his dark eyes through the black waves of hair. His eyes crinkled, drawing her sight to the little spots and moles that dotted his face. She wanted to reach up and trace them with her fingers, if only she could move again. It occurred to her that she hadn’t ever come that many times at once with any other partner, and Ben hadn’t even stuck his cock in her yet.

“You did well,” he stated, a small smile growing across his lips. Rey watched as he brought the fingers that had been inside of her to his mouth and sucked them clean.

Well, if that were the case, she deserved some reward for his tireless assault. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down onto her. Ben chuckled as her lips took his, and then melted into the kiss, his arms cradling her as the rest of his body fit itself into hers.

This is where Rey thought she could stay forever, warm and close to Ben. The only thing that would make it truly perfect was to feel his skin against hers.

She reached for the edge of his shirt and pulled, hoping he would help her the rest of the way, but instead she felt him hesitate.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, trying to figure out where she had misstepped.  If he was nervous about his body, Rey had half a mind to tell him that he had no reason to be.

Ben sighed in her ear. “I have a tattoo. It’s pretty big.”

“Oh? Of what?”

“A tiger.”

 _Was that all?_ Rey wondered why he seemed bothered by it.

“Sounds interesting. Can I see?” 

 

Ben sat up and pulled his shirt off, a worried look on his face. Rey wanted to reach out and reassure him, but before she could he turned and she caught sight of it. A tiger covered the span of his back, it’s tail curled over one of his shoulders while it’s head landed around his waist. It walked on swirling clouds of grey ink as if it was climbing down from the heavens. More clouds surrounded its body, which meant that most of Ben’s back was covered in ink.

“It’s beautiful,” Rey breathed. She sat up to run a hand over his back. God, every inch of him seem to be covered in muscles.

“It not accepted here. Not like in the West,” he said as she traced the outline of the tiger’s body.

“So that’s why you were nervous…” Of course he would be, being tattooed like this in a country that shunned that sort of thing.

“Yeah.”

Rey leaned in and placed a kiss between his shoulder blades. “I like it. It suits you.”

He turned back around, smiling now. The muscles on his front gave the ones on his back a run for their money. “Oh?”

“Yes, you’re very much like a tiger. Stalking your prey, pretending to be some quiet, unassuming calligrapher before you pounce on her and ruin her in a fancy hotel in Hakone.”

With a dark chuckle, Ben grabbed her hands and pinned her down on the bed again. “How can I resist when my prey is so lovely and tender?”

Rey laughed as he nipped at her neck, but he smoothed it over with his tongue, sending tingles across her body. Soon Ben’s lips returned to hers and they continued where they had left off before, enjoying the feeling of each other’s mouths and bodies pressed close.

Wriggling free of his grasp, Rey slipped a hand down to where she could feel him pressing against her, eager to know just what she was in for. It was girthy, she could tell that much even with the fabric still covering him. But he didn’t let her hand reach all the way down before stopping her.

“No teasing me, my little tigress,” he groaned. “If you want it, you’ve got to do more than just play with your food.”

“So now I’m a tiger too?” Rey laughed and pulled his bottom lip between her teeth.

“When you want to be, it seems.”

She growled playfully and kissed him before she tried to rub her hand against him again. Ben gripped it painfully and pulled it out from between them as Rey yelped in surprise. He loosened it when he realized he was hurting her and kissed her wrist instead. “Sorry, I was too rough.”

“It’s okay,” the words tumbled out of Rey’s mouth before she knew what she was really saying, nerves getting the better of her again. “Y-you asked me not to tease you.”

 _So obedient,_ she thought. _Where did that come from?_

It felt odd to be so pliant, so willing. Usually she felt so closed off to the advances of the men around her, but with Ben, it felt so natural to follow his lead. Even a little bit _too_ easy. With him, Rey knew she was safe, taken care of, cherished, even. Pleasing him made her want to misbehave too much. Where the limits between them lay, she didn’t fully know yet.

 

Ben leaned down to kiss her again, chaster this time, keeping a short distance between them. “You hesitated. Do you still want to do this?”

By that time, she could see the worry forming in his face. His brown eyes flickered, watching carefully, trying to make sure she was still comfortable with him, with everything he was asking of her. Rey felt herself begin to relax somewhat. Yes, someone as caring as Ben could take control and she would be fine.

“Yes, of course,” she rushed to say. “Do you?”

It surprised her when he huffed, his cheeks releasing the tension he’d been holding in. “I do.”

Rey pulled him back to her again, smoothing over the awkward moment with her lips again.

Ben pulled back, confirming with a look that she was still okay. Rey bit her lip and watched as he began to undo the clasp of his belt. She could see his erection pressing against the seam of his pants, marveling as it went on longer than she thought possible. He moved to undo the button and fly of his pants, but was stopped midway by a soft rapping at the door.

 

“Shit,” he said when the rapping happened a second time.

Rey’s heart beat wildly in her chest as he sprung up and pulled the futon’s blanket around her.

“Stay there,” he commanded as he stalked off towards the bathroom.

The rapping continued and he dashed back out wearing a towel around his shoulders with another in his hands. “One moment!”

He disappeared behind the wall that separated the bedroom from the entryway and Rey felt relieved that no one would be able to see her from the door. Ben was started speaking quietly with a woman in Japanese, and she couldn’t understand. Instead, she closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the warmth of the blankets. It wasn’t quite like Ben’s heat, but it was comfortable nonetheless. If they spoke too long, Rey imagined she’d sink into a nap.

The door clicked closed and Ben’s feet padded back to her. Rey poked her head above the fluffy blanket. “What was that about?”

Ben smiled and held up their passports. “Got these back. And they’re coming in to prepare dinner in two hours.”

He put the passports on the coffee table and walked back to the bed. Kneeling, he unwrapped Rey from the blanket and drank in her naked form. It made her giggle and she ran a hand from her hip to her breasts and began to knead one. “Miss me?”

After taking a deep breath, Ben leaned forward and kissed her, soft and chaste, not seeking anything more. Rey wrapped her arms around his neck, expecting him to deepen it. He never did, to her great confusion.

“You should go to the onsen before dinner,” Ben said softly as he pulled away.

“ _What?_ ”

“We don’t have nearly enough time for everything I want to do to you tonight before they come with dinner,” he continued as he ran his hand over her hip. “Besides, you deserve a little punishment for earlier, and I don’t do spanking the first time.”

Rey blinked, utterly distracted by his hand on her, but also processing what he had just said. “Spanking?”

His eyes darted up to hers. “Maybe next time you misbehave, if you’re okay with that sort of thing.”

Whether or not she had ever been okay with that sort of thing was now out the window. She wanted to know what it felt like to have Ben spank her, and at the same time, she felt ashamed at her sudden arousal. Should she be concerned about why she was so interested in doing such things with Ben?

“Okay,” she replied.

A small smirk formed on his lips, taunting her. “So you’ll go to the onsen?”

Rey nodded. Gulping down her hesitation to leave Ben’s side, she rose and began to pick up her clothes so she could redress, but he grabbed her wrist.

“You don’t have to put clothes on. The ryokan provides yukata you can wear instead.”

 

He stood and led her over to a closet where he pulled out a beautifully patterned robe, white with indigo stripes. Rey reached out to feel the soft fabric, marveling at the simplicity of the irregular lines.

“Here, let me,” he said softly as he unfolded the robe and held it open.

Rey stepped inside it without question, letting him run a hand down her side before he reached for the sash.

He pulled at the collar until there was a loose bit hanging over the sash, then he retied it and straightened the collar. With one last look at her figure, he ran his hands down her arms before leaning in to kiss her forehead.

“You look beautiful, now go enjoy the onsen.”

Rey bit her lip and threaded her hand into one of his. “You're not going?”

“It’s separated by gender, and besides, I can’t go in with my tattoo. They won’t allow it.”

“Oh,” she whispered, not trying to hide her disappointment.

As if he read her mind, Ben reached over her for the other yukata. He wrapped himself in it and discarded his pants. He offered Rey his hand and she took it. Normally she would hate being babied like this, but she couldn’t help but feel nervous. None of this was going like Rey expected. Not that she was complaining, just now that there was a break in the action, she didn’t know how to act. 

Was that the punishment? Making her feel like this? It made Rey want to beg him to stay in the room and continue where they left off, but she let him put slippers on her feet and lead her down the hallways. She was determined to not let on any further how much she needed Ben, how much she wanted him -that she’d press him down in the hallway and fuck him right there if it wasn’t for the other people in the ryokan.

 

“Anything I should know about the onsen?” Rey asked. “I’ve never been to one.”

Ben made a low noise in his throat. “You get put your clothes into a locker, then wash your body before getting into the baths so you’re clean. There are little stools where you can do that. Other than that… Just don’t dunk your head or your towel in the water, and don’t stay in there too long or you’ll overheat.”

She nodded. “Sounds complicated, but I think I got it.”

He squeezed her hand as they approached the entrance. “Enjoy it. It should help with any lingering soreness you might have from all that walking.”

Rey tried to smile, but she knew whatever ended up on her face was a poor attempt at one.

 _This is ridiculous,_ her brain told her as she walked through the fabric door flaps of the women’s side. _It’s just for a little while. And didn’t you want to go to an onsen with Rose?_

 

Of course, her brain was right, if only her heart was listening. An attendant beyond the curtains handed her an electronic bracelet and pointed to a set of instructions in English. Most of it was a repeat of what Ben had told her, but apparently she could use the bracelet to buy drinks and treatments in the spa. Rey wondered if Ben would be mad if she got herself an expensive massage and spent the whole two hours in the onsen, but she realized she didn’t want to do that at all. She’d much rather be back with Ben sooner rather than later. They’d be here tomorrow night, so she could return and indulge if she wanted.

Inside the changing room were Japanese women in various states of undress. That helped Rey concentrate a little more, but she felt naked already. She found a quiet corner with open lockers and tucked her slippers and yukata inside. A few women turned their heads to look at her as she walked to the entrance to the baths, and Rey wondered if it was because she was the only foreigner.

She found out the real reason why after she stepped into the next room and sat down at one of the little shower stalls where other women were rinsing and scrubbing their bodies with soap - Ben had left hickeys on her neck. And not only that, but her nipples were abnormally red from where he had teased them.

Rey looked down between her legs and wondered if her pussy was in a similar state. Thank goodness for pubic hair, she supposed. Blushing with embarrassment, Rey grabbed some soap and began to wash herself, hoping some of the shame would wash away as she did.

It didn’t make her feel much better, but at least she could cover her breasts with the little towel that was provided and slip into the hot water quickly. She could hide the hickeys with the towel once the rest of her was under.

Instead she found herself immediately distracted by the opulence of the bathhouse’s interior. Above the largest pool was a glittering golden mural of a phoenix, it’s long colorful feathers curling around its body. The bath itself was mostly black stone tile, but it too shimmered with a golden hue. Looking to the side, a darkened window allowed the bathers a view of the snow-covered landscape outside, and Rey watched a woman walk out to five small barrels and enter one - an outdoor bath.

“This hotel is amazing,” she murmured to no one in particular as she padded toward the largest pool. A little plaque told her it was a 40 Centigrade bath, and Rey stepped in without hesitation.

The hot water pooled around her ankles, finally bringing warmth to her feet and legs after what felt like an eternity. Rey stepped down further, feeling a slight discomfort when her labia came into contact with the water, but she thought nothing of it and gathered up her towel so it wouldn’t get wet. It wasn’t until she found a spot and crouched down to sit that she felt the sting of the water on her sore nipples.

She couldn’t hold back the groan as her skin roared at the stimulation. Her head dipped back until it hit the wall of the bath, and then Rey remembered herself and lifted her neck out of the water. The damn towel was soaked, as was the back of her head.

She looked around, hoping no one saw her, and thankfully the other women in the tub were distracted by their own relaxation. Still, a blush crept up her cheeks, both from the warmth of the water and her embarrassment. 

 

It was nice, at least when Rey could find some inner peace. The hot water had seeped into her bones now and she felt herself relax. The gentle sounds of water and idle chatter in a language she didn’t understand allowed her mind to drift.

It wasn’t long though before the warmth of the water felt like too much and Rey realized she should get out and let her body cool. She peeked outside as she rose from the bath. One of the tubs outside was free, but the thought of stepping outside completely naked left her shivering. She supposed that made it the perfect option.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t all that cold when she stepped outside. She could feel the icy stone against her bare feet, but it didn’t chill her like she thought it would. Rey climbed the steps into the wooden barrel and dipped her legs back into the hot water. It steamed at the surface, the temperature outside far colder than inside.

Deliberately, she leaned her elbows on the rim of the barrel, positioning her chest above the water to avoid aggravating the delicate skin on her breasts, but as she relaxed and watched the snowfall, they slipped underwater. The sting was too distracting to let her unwind, especially when it happened a second time and her mind turned towards the feel of Ben’s lips on her body.

Rey sighed and exited the pool, making her way back to the dressing room, where she pulled on her robe as quickly as she could. She fiddled with it for a moment, hoping to replicate whatever Ben had done to make it look nice, but she only succeeded in tying it together like any old robe.

 

Outside she found him waiting on a bench, engrossed in his phone. He only looked up when she stood right before him.

“You’re out so soon?” He asked, a smile crossing his face as he tucked his phone into a sleeve and stood.

“I couldn’t enjoy it,” Rey sighed, her head following as he reached his full height. “You left too many bruises.”

His hand slipped into hers. “Then I’ll have to make it up to you.”

“Before dinner?”

Ben turned back to her as they started down the hall, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Rey smiled and let him lead her, a plan forming in her mind as they twisted through the dimly lit corridors.

“You didn’t have to come get me, you know. I would have found my way.”

He squeezed her hand, “Who was it who didn’t seem to want to go to the onsen?”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have.”

Ben fiddled with the key to their room. “Was it not to your liking?”

“No, it was very nice.”

Ben pushed the door open. “Did I distract you that much?”

 

Rey waited until the door closed behind them to grab the collar of his robe and push him against the wall of the hallway. “You sucked my nipples so raw that I couldn’t relax at all, you ass.”

She pulled herself up to him, quickly enough that their lips crashed together, awkward and wet. An arm reached around her waist to steady her, but Ben pulled back. “I’ll be more gentle next time, promise.”

“I think it’d be better if you didn’t touch them at all for a few days,” Rey whispered as she bit at his bottom lip. “Let them heal first.”

Ben tilted her chin up with a finger, his eyebrow cocked with surprise. “You’re letting me stick around for a few days then.”

“If you behave.” She pressed her hand against his crotch, rubbing his half hard length. Ben hissed and reached out to stop her.

“Please don’t tease.”  
  
“I’m not,” she said, stroking again. “I’m just hunting for my prey.”

With that she dropped down on her knees and opened the front of his robe. A wall of black fabric greeted her.  
  
“I thought you didn’t need to wear underwear with these,” she smiled coyly up at him, rubbing his length again.

He grunted. “You were just going to get undressed again. For the bath.”

Rey cocked an eyebrow at him before hooking her fingers in the waistband. “Nice save.”

She pulled down his boxer briefs and uncovered the massive, growing thing she had only been able to feel thus far. Briefly, her breath hitched as she wondered how she’d fit her mouth around it, let alone her cunt. But she only allowed herself a moment before she wrapped her hand around Ben’s length and brought the soft skin to her lips.

 

Giving head was always something Rey found particularly potent. There was a certain joy in it when done right. Sliding her lips around Ben’s cock invited in thoughts about how he’d feel inside her when they finally went further than foreplay, and she felt herself starting to drip. As if responding to those thoughts, Ben groaned above her and brought a hand to her hair, grasping carefully as she worked her way down.

Unfortunately it was larger than Rey’s mouth could handle, so she slid herself back up, noting how her jaw creaked from the strain as her tongue swirled around his head. The wetness left behind would help her stroke him, so she let her fingers curl around him again as she sucked.

“Rey,” he growled as she tugged.

She pulled herself off him with a pop. “Don’t you dare tell me that any woman has been able to make you come with her mouth alone because it’s just not possible. Especially not the first time.”

With an unsatisfied grunt he leaned his head back against the wall and curled his fingers tighter in her hair when she squeezed him playfully.

“It’s not that,” he said with a groan.

Rey paused, the tip of his cock resting on her lips. “It’s not?”

A wrist came down to hers, the one that was holding onto his length. “There’s something else I want now, seeing you like this.”

“Oh?”

He tugged at her. “Stand up.”

 

Rey was learning now to guess what was a command and what was a request. She let Ben pull her up and towards the bed, not bothering to tuck himself away but taking the time to pick up his boxers and throw them into a closet.

Letting go of her wrist, he sat himself down on the bed, his cock bobbing above the fabric.

“What are you doing?” A smile curled on her lips at the sight.

“Take off your clothes and sit down and you’ll find out,” he replied, a coy smile forming on his own face.

Her yukata was off in an instant and she sat down next to Ben, pulling at the tie around his hips. “I want to see you too.”

“Of course.” He kissed at her neck as he shrugged out of his own robe.

“No more hickeys please,” she laughed, grabbing for his cock again and giving it a playful stroke.

His lips moved up to trace the shell of her ear, sending a tickle down Rey’s spine. “Sit on my face and I’ll do whatever you want.” 

 

She must have squeaked because a moment later Ben chuckled darkly in her ear and moved her hand away from him again.  “Feeling shy now?”

A flush rose up her cheeks and Rey couldn’t help but murmur, “You said you wanted to-”

“I think we might be able to do both at the same time.” There was a nibble at her ear before the heat of Ben’s breath left her side entirely.

Rey turned to see him laid fully back on the bed, his hand snaking around her hip and tugging her gently. Uncertainty getting the better of her, Rey let him arrange her how he wanted, her legs coming to either side of his neck, and her palms splayed on his chest in an attempt to gain some balance.  
  
Ben’s hands gripped her hips, tugging her downward, making her feel even more off kilter.

“Ben,” she started as his palms moved downward towards the apex of her thighs. “I can’t stay balanced like this.”

“Then don’t,” he whispered against her skin, the heat of his breath sending shivers through her.

He tugged again, forcing Rey to lean her hips back. She gasped when her crotch made contact with his mouth, but Ben held her in place as she instinctively surged upwards.  
  
“Don’t move,” he commanded, the vibrations of his voice going straight to her core.

She wasn’t given time to react beyond that. His lips and fingers were on her, parting her, his tongue thrusting out and making contact with her clit quickly. Rey moaned and pressed her head against his stomach. Already, he had circled her sensitive nub and begun to suck. If Ben kept this up, she was going to go crazy.

He shifted, moving himself up to tongue at her entrance, and Rey felt something tap her forehead. Momentarily she was too distracted by the sensation of being so-strangely filled to notice, but the tap came again as Ben moved so she looked up.

 

His swollen red cock stared back at her, dripping slightly.

Rey gulped.

It wasn’t that she was feeling particularly shy, just... wasn’t sure she could focus on giving him something amazing while he was distracting her with his mouth.

But his cock looked so delectable.

Rey stretched her torso until the tip met her parted lips, then pulled his head into her mouth slowly, wrapping her tongue carefully around to protect it from teeth. Beneath her, Ben jerked slightly before moaning into her skin, causing her to close her eyes and moan right back at the way it tickled her clit.

Rough palms slid over her ass, squeezing it while Ben shifted again, slowly this time. Suddenly, more of his length was pressing into her mouth. Rey opened wider, welcoming him as the soft, warm skin slid down her throat.

It felt good to be like this, to have her mouth full of him, triggering that same thought of _what if it was in you,_ while being absolutely ravaged by his lips. Ben was licking wide stripes up and down her now, taking a moment to tease her clit before covering every other inch of her with his tongue.

 _So good,_ Rey wanted to groan.  
  
Did it feel this good for Ben too? God, she hoped it did. It was hard with awkward positioning, she couldn’t quite get into an easy rhythm, but she was trying. Her lips were wrapped tight around him, saliva already dripping down onto her chin, his stomach. She shifted an arm, cautiously putting some weight onto him as she brought a hand to follow her mouth up and down his cock.

 _“Fuck. Rey,”_ she heard him say before he shifted his attention toward lapping eagerly at her clit. If he kept that up, she was going to cum any second.

She pitched herself forward, sadly taking her hips away from his lips so she could take more of him in. She missed the contact, but she wanted Ben to know exactly how she could drive him crazy. Her hand dropped away from his length to cup his balls just as Ben’s lips reached her folds again.

This time he was relentless. He sucked her clit so hard that Rey choked around his cock and had to pull herself off him.

“Gonna cum,” she murmured at the base of his cock as her legs began turning to jelly right along with the rest of her body. Her hand came up to pump him lazily as her orgasm built to its peak. She pressed her nose into his thigh, breathing in the delicious mixture of Ben’s sweat and musk, as she came undone.

Ben paused a moment, stroking her ass gently, before diving back to her clit. Rey jolted, too sensitive to be touched again, but he quickly moved up again with a low chuckle before lavishing his attentions elsewhere.

 

A drop of cum on the inside of her fist brought her focus back to his cock. It was leaking profusely now, and Rey wondered if he was close. She lifted her head, her tongue reaching out to wrap itself around what it could, and licked all the way up to the very tip. The salty liquid cooled on her tongue as she took him in again and sucked.

This time it was Ben’s turn to squirm as she tormented him, pushing herself up and down his length until there were tears in her eyes. She pushed past them and twisted her tongue around him as she went further down.

Behind her, Ben’s grip on her loosened and he groaned. She felt the brush of his hair tickle her calves as his lips left her aching pussy. He was close, she could tell.

Rey pushed farther, gagging a little as she reached her limit.

“Fuck!” Ben cried out.

Rey felt him swell inside her mouth and pulled back as he came, leaving a stream of cum from the back of her throat to her chin. She dipped back in to catch the rest with her tongue as Ben gripped her thighs. Her pride grew at each little moan and twitch as he finished.

Carefully, she shifted her body over him and down onto the futon beside him. Ben stared at her for a moment, blinking in the post-orgasm haze, reaching a hand up to caress her arm. Rey swiped her tongue across her salty lips, causing Ben to focus intently there.

He surged up and Rey nearly leaned back to avoid crashing into him, but instead Ben’s forehead rested against herself as his thumb came to swipe at her chin.

“You have no idea how sinful you look right now,” he groaned just before licking the wet from his digit.

Rey’s breath hitched at the sight of Ben tasting himself so wantonly, and a moment later found those same lips taking her own. They sunk down into the sheets, melting their bodies together, their lips and skin hungry only for more.

It was not enough. Not his beautiful, soft lips pressed everywhere he could reach; not the way his arms wrapped around her and engulfed her in his muscles; and definitely not the way his hands pressed her closer and closer until she felt like her breath had left her. There was an ache deep within her that cried for attention.

“Ben, I need you,” she whined as he explored a region just above her breast, careful not to dip down to her nipples. “Now, please.”

He lifted his head, his eyes soft with affection and lust. “You have to wait, they’ll be here soon with dinner.”

Almost, _almost,_ she nearly said “fuck dinner,” but Ben stroked her cheeks until her heartbeat calmed down and Rey was comfortably nuzzled against his chest. The ache hadn’t gone, she could feel it throb within her every time they shifted.

“I promise I’ll make it up to you,” he whispered, pulling himself away slowly, starting with his lips. “You’ve been so patient with me tonight, so good.”

Rey let herself whimper at the loss and sink into the futon, pouting all the while. Back at home, she would never be so childish, but suddenly being spoiled like a child and lavished with attention until it was embarrassing was all she wanted.

“Come on,” he said softly, tugging her hand. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” 

 

Minutes later, her face scrubbed pink, her kimono neatly tied (by Ben), and the bed painstakingly covered to hide any evidence of their activities, Rey watched the attendants set up their dinner at the little coffee table.

With the couch pushed back and cushions placed on either side, it only took the addition of dishes to make her curiosity return. There was too much food on the table already, but the attendants kept scurrying out for more.

There was a decent sized grilled fish on a bright green leaf, soup, little dishes of vegetables everywhere, coils of noodles, beautiful translucent cuts of sashimi, and a little portable clay grill with the most well-marbled pieces of beef Rey has ever seen. Her eyes widened at the feast.

The attendant indicated for them to sit and walked away, Rey assumed for the last time until the table was to be cleared. Folding her legs under her, she looked up at Ben just as the attendant slid open the door, and quietly padded over with a small bottle. The woman delicately poured a clear liquid into a small dish - Rey had assumed it was for rice - by Ben, then moved to pour for her. She left the bottle, then stood and bowed, finally leaving.

Scanning the table one more time, Rey looked up at Ben helplessly. “What the hell?”

Ben’s eyebrows shot up with surprise before he began to laugh. “It’s kaiseki, Japanese ryokan cuisine. It’s a highlight of staying in a place like this. What’s wrong?”

“It’s so fancy, everything here,” she said, her cheeks flushing red instantly. “I can’t believe you used up your favor on me.”

He frowned, bringing his fist up to cover his mouth. “Why?”

“Because we just met!” Rey exclaimed. “We’d only kissed once before you called in the favor, and I honestly can hardly believe it.”

_It feels too good to be true._

“Hmmm,” Kylo murmured, resting his chin on a fist. “I have a feeling you won’t want to believe me if I said I liked you from the moment you walked into my shop asking if I spoke movies.”

Rey gripped her hands in her lap, blushing harder. “...No one ever likes me this much.”

_Nothing this wonderful ever happens to me. It just doesn’t._

“Then believe me when I tell you that I don’t have anyone else I’d rather come to a ryokan with, and it would be a shame to let an offer to stay at a place like this go unused.”

“I guess that’s true.” Rey looked back up at him. His eyes were soft with an adoration that felt too heavy when she tried to put a name to it.

Her mind swirled at that realization. They had barely spent two full days together. Even at the breakneck pace they were moving, Rey didn’t understand how he could be so open, even without saying the words. She tried to parse her own feelings, but they felt like too much to process.  
  
“I _did_ know I would like you the moment you asked me if I could speak movies,” he said, laughter in his eyes. “I knew I wanted to get to know you better, at least.”

Rey said weakly. “I felt the same way, after we started talking.”

Ben smiled into his fist, trying to hide his delight at her admission. “Then I’m glad I offered to take you around Tokyo.”

He picked up his chopsticks and looked over the table. “What do you want to try first?”

“Um, I don’t know what half of these dishes are…”

 

They stuffed themselves with Kobe beef, grilled fish, yams, grilled eggplant, and all sorts of other delicacies.  The sake was better than anything else Rey had tasted before, and she said as much to Ben, who looked at her with so much fondness and delight she almost felt shy again.

“You like watching me eat too much,” she complained.

“I’ve never met someone who eats with so much gusto. It’s refreshing,” he replied, a smile on his face as he picked up a piece of tuna sashimi. “Maybe try eating like a normal person?”

She shot him a glare and took the last piece of the salmon, which Ben said he particularly liked.  
  
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “You’ll pay for that later.”

Rey chewed the fish with a smile on her face.

Eventually they were too stuffed to continue, but they made room for a small dessert course of sweet red bean soup with mochi.

 

As the attendants took away the remnants of their meal, they flopped into the chairs that sat by the large window and watched the snow fall outside.

“God, that was a lot, even for me,” she said, sighing wistfully.

Ben just chuckled. “We can take a walk around the ryokan if you’d like.”  
  
“Too cold.” It made her shiver just thinking about it. Being out in the countryside made her wonder why she and Rose chose December to visit Japan, as much as the snow delighted her.  
  
“Then I’ll have to find ways to keep you warm,” he said, voice low.

“You’re too much,” Rey whispered, looking towards the woman who was smoothing the comforter on the futon.

Ben hummed and laid a hand on her thigh. “I’m looking forward to finding all the ways I can make you cum.” 

 

* * *

 

She found herself flat on her back only ten minutes later, her kimono pushed up to allow Ben between her legs, but she wasn’t feeling it.  
  
Or, more specifically, she was feeling it very much, but he wasn’t giving her _exactly_ what she needed. Rey didn’t need to be fingered or licked or teased anymore, she needed to be fucked.

“Ben-” she managed before he did something with his tongue that sent another shiver down her spine and left her momentarily voiceless. “Please-”

She could feel him grinning into her cunt, the bastard. Her hands curled in his hair and he moved forward to nuzzle his nose against her clit, again as if he thought he knew what she wanted. So Rey yanked his head up.

“Please stop doing that and fuck me already,” she growled. “You’ve been teasing me for _hours.”_

Ben blinked at her a moment, then rose up to kiss her. “I wanted to make you cum again.”

“You've done that so many times I’ve lost count.” Rey sighed into his lips. “There’s condoms in my backpack. In the front pocket.”

“You came prepared?” Just the hint of a chuckle betrayed by the little huff of breath she felt.  
  
Her eyes rolled even though Ben was kissing her neck now and wouldn’t see. “Don’t pretend like you weren’t planning this. It was obvious.”

“Yes, and I admire you for it. Being prepared, that is.”

Ben lifted himself above her, smiling, “I’m glad we were on the same page. I brought some too.”

Rey tried not to smile back, but really, Ben was too handsome when he smiled and it was too hard to resist. “Make it worth the wait. ”

“I’ll do my best.” 

 

* * *

 

Rey felt awkward pinned under Ben as he pushed inside at first. It felt too pedestrian almost, to be underneath, with her legs high up on his shoulders. This man and what she felt for him felt like it deserved something better than the pause it took to find a condom, slip it on, and assume the position of his choice.

That feeling of mild satisfaction distracted from the stretch as Ben filled her and how unlike herself Rey felt. She didn’t know what to do with her hands, for one. They just kind of sat on his forearms weakly, hoping to be somewhere else -his hair, perhaps- but it was too far away.

But then Ben slid straight into something inside her and Rey’s thoughts were immediately broken.

“Ah-!” Her fingers curled around flesh, digging in as the intensity made her body stiffen.

All at once, Ben’s body was against hers, his lips found her neck, and his cock hit her in that perfect spot, but harder this time.

Rey had never felt anything like it before. Not with any of the men she’d been with before, not during her own attempts to pleasure herself.

“Fuck, Rey,” he whispered, his voice caught and rough to her ear. “You feel amazing. So tight.”

“Mngph,” was all she could manage, feeling so many new things as he began to move.

 

It was too slow, even if the way he filled her was overwhelming and bringing her back into the moment. It didn’t hit that spot that now she was craving. Ben was being far too careful with her, trying to be gentle, intimate. Perhaps a touch romantic. It was laughable after all the ways he teased and tortured her that afternoon.

Rey tried moving her hips in time with his thrusts, which felt good, but also not quite right. His lips found hers and she tried to push him further by biting his lip, kissing him hard, pulling on his hair, but any increase in pace was slow when Rey needed it _now_ and _more._

“Ha-” She stumbled over her tongue as Ben pressed into that spot again. God, it felt good, but she had to persist. “Harder!”  
  
He stilled, and for a moment Rey panicked, envisioning a line in some invisible sand that she had now crossed. Pulling his torso away from her, Ben straightened and began to take her legs off his shoulders, his face stoic and serious.

“Harder?” He asked, sounding almost… _offended._  
  
Rey’s gut churned with nerves. “ _Please…_ ”

  
  
Warm hands cradled her hips, Ben’s thumbs circling her sides like he was contemplating something. Rey squeezed her eyes closed, regretting her words already. He was going to stop because he wanted something soft and slow and romantic, and she just wanted to be fucked into the mattress after all that teasing. He was going to hate her and leave her here, disappearing into the chaotic mess of Tokyo, leaving her lost.  
  
“ _Please,_ ” she whimpered the word holding more weight than she could bear.  
  
“You sure?”  
  
Rey opened her eyes to see Ben smirking at her.  “Am I sure?”

He gripped her hips tighter then thrust suddenly, hitting her right where she was hoping for. Her lips opened and some wordless noise came out.

“Was that what you were hoping for?” His eyes were positively sparkling with mischief. “Harder?”

Rey’s gasp turned into a gape. “You were _teasing_ me?”

Ben nodded once, his grin growing ever so slightly to reveal his teeth.

“You assho- _ngh!_ ” Ben’s hips had slammed into her again, fucking with Rey’s ability to form words.  
  
“This is what you wanted, right?” He laughed as his hips pistoned in and out, relentless. “Something harder?”

Her hands had fallen to the side when Ben had changed position. Now as Rey squirmed and moaned, they found themselves grasping the sheets - the only thing keeping her grounded as he made her tits bounce from the force of his thrusts.  
  
“You have to tell me, Rey,” he continued. “Otherwise I might stop.”

“Just- Just shut up and keep fucking me like that!” Rey gasped.

Ben just grinned wider. “Good girl.”

He lifted her hips, changing the angle and sending another shuddering wave of pleasure through Rey.

“ _Fuck,_ ” she whimpered as her back arched against the mattress, trying desperately to find relief where there was none, and dangling close to the edge of another orgasm.

“Are you close?” Ben grunted, and Rey noticed for the first time the thin sheen of sweat on his brow, despite the cold that kept her nipples pebbled. “I still want to feel you cum on my cock tonight.”

Nodding, Rey reached a hand down to her clit and began to gently rub herself. It was still sensitive from before and Ben hissed as her walls fluttered around him in response.

One of his hands left her hips and pushed hers out of the way, touching her more roughly. It was too close too soon, and Rey’s hips jerked away instinctively, but Ben’s fingers followed.  
  
This time, he was gentler, coaxing moans out of her one at a time, making her arch her body to meet his thrusts. Ben leaned over her, hot breath teasing her skin as filthy words tumbled out of his mouth.

“You take it so well, baby,” he purred. “I can’t wait to see all the ways you can cum for me.”

Rey didn’t have any thrilling words for him, she could only respond with rushed “Ben”s and “Fuck”s and incoherent syllables as her vision whited out.

“God, you feel so good,” Ben groaned, deep within his throat as he pressed himself in as deep as he could go.

He moaned as he reached for her mouth with his lips, and Rey felt her insides tighten as the condom swelled with his cum. Ben didn’t quite flop into her arms like some men did, but suddenly he needed to be closer to her, touching as much of her as he could.

Rey welcomed the attention, sliding her hands up Ben’s muscular arms, admiring the feel of them between her fingers, then up to his jaw where her fingers just barely met his silky hair.

  
  
“That was what I wanted,” she whispered as Ben finally began to pull away.

He looked at her, still utterly dazed by his own orgasm, and blinked a few times before softly smiling and blushing. Leaning down, he placed one more chaste kiss upon her lips and padded away to the bathroom without another word.  
  
For a moment, Rey didn’t know what to make of his silence, but as she replayed everything they did that day, she couldn’t see how Ben _didn’t_ enjoy it. Later on, when they were both clean, redressed in their kimono, and curled up in bed together, he confirmed her thoughts.

“Staying in was a good idea.”

Rey smiled to herself and let her eyes fall closed feeling sated, content, and most importantly, not alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you enjoy that? I think Rey and Ben certainly did.
> 
> But I'm honestly looking forward to the next chapter way more. 😈
> 
>  
> 
> [Follow me on twitter sometime!](https://twitter.com/MsCoppelia)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Mistranslations!
> 
> I've been in love with Japan for awhile, and after my last trip in December, this idea popped into my head. It's full of random little details from my recent travels there (like the reason why Rey's pocket wifi isn't working, which will be mentioned again later). 
> 
> I'm not Japanese, but I have spent a lot of time researching Japan for my first career as a manga editor for an English-language publisher and for my second career as a travel agent. So please forgive me and correct me if I get something wrong! I've tried to do my research for this fic, but obviously there will be a few liberties here and there.
> 
> Speaking of liberties... In writing this chapter I realized I have no clue how it feels to be lost. The fates gifted me with an excellent sense of direction, and so at best I get turned around and just keep trucking until I figure it out. Hopefully I got it right! I had to ask around.
> 
> Feel free to find me on [tumblr!](http://misscoppelia.tumblr.com/)


End file.
